IT'S going to be a bit like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire for me against Wolves on Sunday.

I'm hoping my 'Old Firm' derby experience will stand me in good stead though.

I've been lucky enough to be involved in four 'Old Firm' clashes in front of crowds of more than 50,000.

And I think the Glasgow derby can be classed as one of the biggest in the world.

Having experienced defeat twice and victory twice against Rangers with Celtic, no-one has to tell me how important Sunday's game is to Baggies fans.

I looked for the Black Country derby in the fixtures when they first came out and I've been really looking forward to it.

It is a massive game for us and a great occasion.

Hopefully I'll play.

I'd love to be involved and maybe nick a goal.

Last season's five games against Wanderers will count for nothing.

It's the same with any team.

Players come and players go and quite a few of the current squad have never experienced a Black Country derby.

No two games are ever the same - let alone seasons.

It will be a completely different game and one that we'll be looking to come out on top in.

Sunday is also an important day on the international scene with the World Cup qualifying groups being drawn.

People can talk about Scotland just missing out on qualification for Euro 2008 as a 'glorious failure'.

But I was absolutely gutted not to get through following our last-gasp defeat by Italy on Saturday.

However, there are positives and we'll get our heads down and work hard.

We've moved up two pots which is a great reward for the squad.

Hopefully, we can avoid the 'Group of Death' this time!

On a personal note, my calf is fine now and I'm over my illness.

I had a good intense week of training while I was away with Scotland.

On my return to the club's training ground, we were forced to train at the indoor pitch on Monday because the snow on Sunday night made the outdoor pitches unplayable.

We were back outside yesterday and training's going well.

It's been nice to be back out with my club-mates because I've missed quite a bit of training through injury and being away with Scotland.

The derby is just the start of a busy week for us with back-to-back trips to Plymouth and Crystal Palace to follow.

Our last two away games have been fantastic, with a 3-0 win at league leaders Watford followed by a 4-0 win at Coventry.

They couldn't have gone any better.

Earlier in the season we weren't imposing ourselves on teams on our travels.

But I think we're starting to do that now.

The next two away games are tough but two we're capable of winning - even with our injury problems.

Fortunately, the manager has got a squad capable of covering for them.

Hopefully, come the end of the season, we'll be able to say our squad was strong enough to win us promotion.