Mick McCarthy has called for a return of the traditional Boxing Day derby ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers' trek north to face Hull City today.

The clash against the Tigers comes just three days before Wolves make another long trek to Norwich City on Saturday but McCarthy believes it would be fairer for the supporters to bring back the local derbies and cut down on the travelling.

"The lack of derbies at Christmas are down to the police and security issues but we should play derbies on Boxing Days. It would be brilliant," he said. "If you think of all the teams there are around the Midlands and we have to go to Hull and Norwich, there is something sadly wrong.

"We have had some strange midweek games but we went to Southampton and Cardiff and did well so it won't faze us. It is worse for the supporters. We have no issues with that but for the travelling fans it can be tough."

McCarthy believes that his young squad will cope physically with the demands of the heavy festive fixture schedule and is confident his more experienced players will help with the psychological aspect of four games inside ten days.

"We are a young fit squad and that will help us physically," he explained. "But there is a thought that a 26-year-old professional, who has almost seven seasons playing, will cope with the demands of this period. They know how to deal with it and are physically capable.

"When you have young players aged 18 or 19, they are physically fit but can't cope with the demands. It is difficult but the more seasoned professionals will deal with it.

McCarthy himself has no complaints about being away from home so much over Christmas and is not convinced about calls for a Continental-style mid-season break.

Wolves trained on Christmas morning and then travelled to Hull last night to prepare for today's game.

"Instead of putting up the Cindy houses and Scalextrics, yesterday we were playing five-aside - it's fantastic," he said, tongue firmly in cheek. "Then we went home, had a light lunch and then travelled to Hull.

"It has never bothered me as a player or now as a manager because it is my job. I can remember my eldest child saying, when someone moaned about their dad being away on Christmas Day, 'my dad is always away on Christmas Day'.

"I never gave it a second thought when I used to go and train. It is part of the job and it doesn't affect me at all. That's the job and I have been doing it a long time.

"I haven't got a preference on a mid-season break. I don't mind. I had one in France and I didn't come back thinking I had had a great break. I just felt I had to get fit again like a pre-season.

"It is great to see my family over Christmas but as a player I always had the view that I would go into training for 10.30am and be home by 2.30pm every day so I used to drop my kids off and pick them up from school. Other people can't do that.

"If I was given two weeks off, I would go and enjoy but I can't say that is what I want to do. I am more than happy playing.

"Although I wish the guy on the computer had more nimble fingers so we didn't get Hull away and Norwich away over Christmas."

Wolves go to Hull on the back of a run of four games without a victory after their frustrating 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Molineux on Saturday.

Freddy Eastwood and Andy Keogh will be pushing for starting places after their introductions turned the game around against the Foxes.