Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo believes the loan signing of Marlon Harewood could give his club just the boost they need as the Coca-Cola Championship season comes to a close.

The Black Country side take on second-placed Birmingham at St Andrew’s tonight looking to extend their five-point lead at the top.

Iwelumo, who returned from Scotland duty as a precaution because of a hip flexor problem, believes the arrival of Aston Villa loanee Harewood could be a key signing for Mick McCarthy’s men.

“Now we’ve got the big man on board as well which is tremendous,” Iwelumo said.

“To have a player of that calibre and standing coming in is great.

“He scores goals, he’s a presence who is powerful and quick.

“It can only be a positive thing for everyone and you can see it around the place.

“I watched training on Thursday and there’s a buzz and a sharpness there which is great with just six games to go.”

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has challenged his side to keep targeting the Championship title, rather than simply settling for claiming the automatic promotion spot.

“While there’s still enough points on the board for us to finish top of the table, then we’ve got to go for it,” he said.

“I have got to challenge the players to get to the end of the season unbeaten, try and win every game. Whether we can do it is another matter.

“But we have to believe that we can – not will – but certainly believe we can.”