STOKE CITY have received confirmation that striker Ricardo Fuller will be available for their Barclays Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Fuller was sent off for violent conduct in the pre-season game at Wrexham on Friday night, raising initial fears that the Jamaican international may miss the Molineux trip.

But manager Tony Pulis was hopeful that a precedent set down by the Football Association when Patrick Vieira was sent off in Manchester City's game against Inter Milan in the United States would also apply to the City frontman, and that has proved to be the case.

The FA ruled then that any suspension imposed on Vieira would see him banned from friendly matches, not Premier league games, a judgement which now comes into effect in Fuller's instance after he was shown a red card at the Racecourse Ground on Friday.

In a pre-season game which had a number of flashpoints, the 30-year-old striker clashed with Wrexham left back Neil Ashton and was given his marching orders by referee Bryn Markham-Jones after consulting his assistant referee about the second half incident.

While Pulis will be relieved that Fuller is not banned from Premier League action, he will be encouraged by the return to fitness of Matthew Etherington and Rory Delap.

Both returned to the starting line-up in the goalless draw at Wrexham, Etherington coming through a 56-minute test of his groin injury while Delap played for the full 90 minutes.

City's manager is also heartened by the progress of captain Abdoulaye Faye and midfielder Glenn Whelan as they battle to be fit for the Wolves match on Saturday.