Only time will tell just how long Glenn Hoddle's stay will be as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But, if the worst comes to the worst as far Wolves' outside promotion hopes are concerned and their manager's promising stay at Molineux is merely a stepping stone to something else, then Saturday's game will be virtually Hoddle's halfway point.

The home fixture with Gillingham will be the 13th game Wolves have played since he took charge. After playing host to the relegation-scrapping Gills at Molineux on Saturday, there will be 14 games of the league season left.

Such is the complexity of life in the Championship, Wolves' season could still go either way, of course. Their season may yet, just as it was two years ago, be extended by another three games if they could somehow reach the play-offs final.

Given the calibre of players they have in their squad, the rest of the league are already looking over their shoulders at Wolves, wondering when the run will come. And, despite the loss of inspirational skipper Paul Ince through suspension this weekend, Saturday's game has to be the starting point.

A depressing defeat at Gillingham in late October signalled the end for Dave Jones but successor Hoddle has found some consistency, and the time is nigh for Wolves to push on.

After just two defeats in his ten league games at the helm to date, Wolves have become hard to beat. But only in a three-game winning run in January have Hoddle's side looked anywhere near firing on all cylinders.

"Even now, there are still parts of the team where possibly we're not 100 per cent sure that I've got my best 11 out there," he said. "It takes time.

"There's people I've looked at who you need to give some time and some matches. Then you look at it and think 'Do I look at someone else for a period of time?'

"I'm certainly happy that I've got a better team now than eight weeks ago, and that's without bringing anyone else in.

"And I'm enjoying the job even more now because I know the players more.

"We're further down the line, working hard at trying to get the wins we need, and we're really not far away from it.

"Nobody in this league has looked way above us. We've played some top teams now which, on paper, looked more difficult than others. But we've equipped ourselves well and there's no reason to doubt the squad is good enough to do well."

Admittedly, the FA Cup has not had a very helpful effect on Wolves' season.

The 2-0 fourth round defeat they suffered to Arsenal at Highbury last month put an end to that winning run in the league. Then Derby County's need for a replay at Fulham postponed Wolves' trip to Pride Park until next month, leaving Hoddle's men without a game last weekend.

On top of the disappointing 1-1 Friday night home draw with Sunderland in between, it has meant a 15-day break with no football before playing host to Gillingham.

"We could have done without having this free week," said Hoddle.

"We have four games in nine days over the festive period, then a run of 15 days without a game, after which we then have to cram them all in again, with Tuesday games for a few weeks before another international shutdown for two weeks in late March.

"It's stop-start, so it's awkward to get any rhythm.

"But we've just got to keep believing. There's still a chance, if we can turn that consistency into winning matches. And we certainly haven't given up the ghost of trying to get into the play-offs."