KEITH Gillespie today thanked Rovers boss Graeme Souness for giving him the kick up the backside he needed to rescue his career.

The revitalised winger celebrated his first cap in 11 months with a man of the match performance in Northern Ireland's 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic at Windsor Park on Saturday.

And he was quick to acknowledge the part Souness has played in his return to form after the Ewood boss handed him a lifeline at Ewood.

"He's given me the chance to resurrect my career and I'm grateful to him for giving me that," said Gillespie.

"I think he is on record as saying now and again I just needed a kick up the backside and he certainly gave me a kick up the backside.

"It's not nice being left out and it was up to me to start working hard and try and get back in.

"He said to me that it was up to me to go and prove him wrong and hopefully I've been doing that. I'm quite confident at the moment with the way things are going and it is nice to be able to take that out on to the pitch for a change.

"This was my best game for Northern Ireland for a while and there is still more to come.

"My fitness is not quite there and I tired a bit towards the last 15 minutes.

"I had a bit of cramp and that was due to a lack of games over the season.

"I still think there is a lot more to come and I know I can improve on that performance.

"I'm just delighted with the way things are going and, hopefully, I can continue that."

Gillespie's Rovers career appeared to be over when Souness said he could leave on a free before Christmas.

However, following a loan spell at Wigan, he has since been given a second chance.

And he provided the most compelling evidence yet that he is back to his best with a mesmerising display on Saturday.

The former Manchester United ace almost scored with a rare header in the second half which hit the post with goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek beaten.

However, Pavel Nedved's 11th-minute winner for the Czechs means Northern Ireland's hopes of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup have become even more remote.

They are fourth in Group Three and need to take at least a point from Wednesday's match against Bulgaria in Sofia to keep in touch with the leaders.

But Gillespie is realistic enough to know that qualification was always a pipedream and he is more concerned with improving the team's performance.

"We're going to Bulgaria in confident mood after the way we played against the Czechs," he said.

"I don't think there should be too much doom and gloom about qualification and the important thing is to concentrate on our performance.

"We played really well against the Czechs and we want to build on that against Bulgaria."

Gillespie has shrugged off a calf niggle and trained with the rest of the squad yesterday afternoon ahead of their flight to Bulgaria today.

Jason McAteer also appeared for the Republic of Ireland on Saturday in their 4-0 win over Cyprus.

And Damien Duff came on as a late second half substitute.

Meanwhile, Gillespie Rovers today slammed fresh speculation linking them with a summer move for Newcastle wide-man Stephen Glass.

According to one of the weekend tabloids, Rovers, Bolton, Celtic, Dundee and Dundee United are all in the hunt for the 24-year-old Scot, who is out of contract in the summer.

But Ewood chief executive John Williams has dismissed the report, saying the story has no foundation whatsoever.

"There's definitely nothing in that at all," said Williams.

"That's a name that has never been mentioned by Graeme or any of his staff."

Glass has been linked with Rovers in the past as a possible makeweight in a swap deal involving Damien Duff.

But Rovers have stressed Duff is definitely not for sale, despite continued speculation linking him with both Newcastle and Sunderland.