Joe Hodge remaining professional ahead of Wolves decision

The midfielder is likely to go on loan this month if a deal can be done, and admitted that is the plan before the window closes, but Gary O’Neil started the 21-year-old on Tuesday.

It was Hodge’s first game since August when he suffered a hamstring injury, before some difficult months where he was not selected and then had shoulder surgery to correct an injury.

“It was hard to get myself in a position where I could play,” Hodge said. “It’s been a long few months since my last game and I’ve been working as hard as I can every day.

“I trained on my own for a really long time and since I’ve been back with the team I’ve been trying to get sharp.

“I’m delighted (to be back), it was tough. It’s not been much fun at all, but I’ve been trying to plug away, same as every day.

“I’ve taken it day by day and worked hard every day and I’ve now seen some sort of reward for that, so I’m happy.

“I don’t gain anything from throwing my toys out of the pram in training.

“I had to work hard to get closer to getting back fit and I’ve finally done that.

“The plan for me is to go out on loan but when the gaffer said he wanted to play me, I was delighted, buzzing, I couldn’t wait to get out there.

“Hopefully I’ve played my part in getting us through to the next round, so I’m happy with that.”

Hodge has already experienced a high-pressure Black Country Derby, as he was part of the Wolves under-23 team that lost the Premier League Cup final on penalties to the Baggies at The Hawthorns in May 2022.

If the midfielder is still with Wolves for the upcoming derby clash, he hopes to play a part in the FA Cup fourth round tie.

“The most important thing is that we’re going through to the next round,” he added. “It’s a big game at West Brom, so everyone is buzzing.

“I was there a few years back with the under-23s and you could see how big it was.

“You could see the turnout for that and it was just an under-23s game, so imagine what it will be like in a couple weeks’ time.

“There was a pitch invasion after, so I could see what it meant to everyone. We’ll be going there looking to win.

“A lot of the boys aren’t from here so we don’t understand it maybe as much as the fans do, but when it comes to that game I’m sure everyone will understand the importance of it and what it means for the people here.

“I’m sure everyone will be right up for it when the time comes.”