Injury-hit Bristol City have signed Scotland international striker Chris Iwelumo from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a 28-day emergency loan.

And the 31-year-old target man is expected to make his debut in today's Coca-Cola Championship clash against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

City manager Gary Johnson was forced to move quickly after several first-team regulars went down with injury and illness, including forwards Nicky Maynard and Danny Haynes.

An experienced Championship campaigner with Charlton Athletic and Wolves in past seasons, Iwelumo will help bolster City's attack and provide much-needed assistance for new signing Patrick Agyemang.

"I'm delighted to be able to bring a player of Chris Iwelumo's quality and experience to the club," said Johnson, who is good friends with Wolves boss Mick McCarthy.

"Mick always said he would let me know if any of his players became available, and he was good enough to tip us the wink on this one.

"Chris will add vital experience to our strikeforce and provide a presence up top as well. He is one of those unselfish players who can do a job for the team and helps take some of the pressure off the other strikers. He is very good in the air and is strong enough to hold the ball up. In fact, he is exactly what we need right now."

He added: "We have managed to bring him in on a month initially and we will take it from there."

Iwelumo will also be available for the back-to-back home games against Leicester and West Brom, as well as matches against Ipswich, Doncaster Rovers and Crystal Palace.

But there is a possibility the loan could be extended if he does well. Wolves have a wealth of strikers on their books, including Kevin Doyle, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Sam Vokes, Stefan Maierhofer and Andy Keogh, who is set to return from injury within the next week.

Iwelumo has made just three starts and seven substitute appearances for Wolves this season and is keen to play as many games as possible following a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

A major player in Wanderers' Championship title-winning side last season, the big striker has since endured a catalogue of injuries. Medial knee ligament damage ruled him out of the final month of last season, after which he suffered a broken metatarsal in his comeback match against Perth Glory on a pre-season tour in July.

He then suffered a recurrence of the same injury, which kept him out of action until the end of November.

Iwelumo last started in a 1-0 FA Cup win at Tranmere last month, but Keogh's impending return to full fitness and McCarthy's practice of deploying Republic of Ireland international Doyle as a lone striker mean the Scot's opportunities are, in future, likely to be limited.

Johnson will be hoping his latest acquisition can revive a flagging attack and help provide the firepower which has been so notably missing in a team which has managed to score just once in five games.

Certainly, Iwelumo boasts an impressive goal-scoring record in the Championship and he netted twice on his last visit to Bramall Lane, helping Wolves achieve a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United in November 2008.