ROOKIE keeper Chris Stringer wants to be thrust into the firing line as relegation-haunted Sheffield Wednesday bid to stop in-form Rovers in their tracks at Ewood tomorrow.

Stringer made a memorable debut for Wednesday as a substitute for the red-carded Kevin Pressman just 13 seconds into the Owls' opening game of the season at Wolves.

Since then, however, he's found his way into the first team blocked by the veteran stopper, despite a stunning performance against Rovers in a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough back in August.

But now the teenager is back in the frame for the number one shirt after deputising for the injured Pressman last week in a 2-1 FA Cup win over Norwich.

And, though he was suffering from flu' on the day, he believes he deserves the chance to add to his five appearances so far this season.

"I've gone quite a while without playing and I've been itching to get on because I'm desperate to play," said Stringer.

"I knew I had to bide my time and I thought I did reasonably well.

"But it was difficult for me to come in under those circumstances because I hadn't been able to train for two or three days.

"Pressy had a situation where there was a chance he could play and the gaffer left it as late as possible before making a decision.

"So it was only in the morning that I found out I was in.

"The first 15 minutes I was quite comfortable, but in the last half hour I was a bag of nerves and started to panic, then I just couldn't get off my line.

"It might have been partly due to the flu.

"But if Pressy still isn't right then I'm ready to step in."

With money in dangerously short supply at Hillsborough these days, Owls boss Paul Jewell has been forced to rely increasingly on youngsters like Stringer.

The former Bradford City boss knew he was taking on a club crisis when he succeeded Danny Wilson in the summer but even he must have underestimated Wednesday's fragile financial plight following relegation from the Premiership.

Established players like Peter Atherton, Ian Nolan, Petr Rudi, Niclas Alexandersson, Richard Cresswell and Pavel Srnicek have all been allowed to leave in an effort to slash the wage bill.

And, of the squad that remains, senior stars like Wim Jonk, Andy Hinchcliffe, Simon Donnelly, Phil O'Donnell and Andy Booth have spent the majority of the season in the treatment room.

But, with debts approaching £14 million, Jewell has had to discard his cheque book and put his trust in trainees like Stringer, Owen Morrison, Anthony Crane and Matthew Hamshaw to fill the void.

And the culling shows no signs of abating with Hinchcliffe and Gilles De Bilde seemingly next for the exit door as Wednesday aim to reduce costs even further.

It's not surprising, therefore, that Jewell twitched nervously in the directors box at Ewood on Wednesday night as Rovers tore Preston to shreds in a stunning opening 20 minute blitz.

"We've got to work extremely hard and not make it possible for teams to come at us," said Jewell.

"Blackburn will come at us like they did in the first half against Preston. They were excellent going forward and could have had a few more.

"We've not been playing flowing football but we've got to continue to be hard to beat. In our last three games we've won two and drawn one, conceding just one goal in the process.

"And we'll have to perform to similar standards over the rest of the season if we want to stay up."