Injured Iwelumo to miss Wolves´ EPL start

Chris Iwelumo will miss next month’s start of the English Premier League season because of a foot injury picked up in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 1-0 pre-season win over Perth Glory.

The 30-year-old Scottish international forward was helped from the field in Friday’s match after a 50-50 challenge and was later found to have broken a metatarsal in his right foot, club officials said.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy said there was no malice in the strong tackle from Glory’s new Socceroo signing Jacob Burns that forced Iwelumo .

“The game was fine, no badness in it at all,” McCarthy told reporters after the match. “It was just an accident. Nothing we could have avoided.

“It wasn’t too physical, it was purely an accident. I think they just clashed.

“But it’s disappointing. Chris has worked his socks off to have the career he has.

“We just got to the Premiership and he breaks his metatarsal… it’s hugely disappointing for him and for me.”

Wolves controlled possession for large periods but failed to put the Glory away, with goalkeeper Tando Velaphi pulling off two crucial saves.

“We were hopeless,” McCarthy said. “I hate pre-season, it’s a means to an end.”

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s strike in the second minute proved the winner for Wolves, who will play Robbie Fowler’s new Australian club, North Queensland Fury, in a double-header here on Wednesday.