ROVERS defender Craig Short has ruled out a return to first team action against Liverpool tomorrow night.

The 35-year-old originally set the Carling Cup third round tie as his target date for being fit for action for the first time this season.

But Short revealed that while his recovery from a serious knee injury is ahead of schedule, he is still two weeks away from a comeback

He said: "I don't want to come back too early because if I break down I will be out for the rest of the season.

"I've been lucky with injuries in my career but this is the worst one I've had and I've just got to be careful, especially at my age.

"There's no chance of making the Liverpool game and I don't fancy chasing Michael Owen around at the moment!"

The most likely return date for Short now appears to be the Premiership game at Ewood against Everton a week on Monday.

He added: "This is my second week back training. I'm a bit sore but I'm just going to get through this week and then take part in a reserve game next week.

"I'm ahead of schedule and it's been good having David Thompson at the club because he had the same injury.

"His was a little bit more serious than mine and was out for six months but he's taken me through the symptoms, what to expect and what he felt."

Short's experience and know-how at the back is sure to provide a much-needed boost to manager Graeme Souness, whose downhearted defence desperately needs a lift.

They haven't kept a clean sheet this season and have been dogged by injuries, suspensions and a loss of form as Blackburn have slumped to six defeats in their last seven Premiership games.

And while Short admits he has found it frustrating watching Rovers from the sidelines, he is confident they can recover.

He added: "You can't win because if the team is doing well you feel left out and if they are struggling you want to get out there and try to do something about it."