GARRY Flitcroft is finally fully recovered from knee surgery and just can't wait for pre-season training to start with Blackburn Rovers.

In fact, the midfield powerhouse wished it began tomorrow, as he continues to go solo in his efforts to help lead the bid to bounce straight back from relegation.

And manager Brian Kidd will welcome the long-term absentee back with open arms.

"It will be brilliant. That's one of the things that excites me, getting 'Flitty' back will be like signing a new player," said Kidd.

Flitcroft, as always, will continue training throughout the summer to ensxure he is in peak condition for the new challenge with Rovers - and he has no intention of being anywhere other than Ewood come August.

Clubs such as Sunderland have already been linked with him but he insists he is not interested in elsewhere.

He was able to join in with the first team squad at Brockhall for the last couple of weeks of the season and said: "I really enjoyed it. The manager's training is top quality and I am sure he will do well here.

"I think we have a great chance of coming straight back and I am just looking forward to playing again.

"Even though I had my injury, the club were very loyal to me, giving me that new contract.

"I love it round here, I don't want to move. I am definitely staying and I am going to show the club a bit of loyalty."

Flitcroft's absence was one of the main factors behind Rovers' relegation.

For he was playing the best football of his Ewood career when he suffered a cartilage injury way back in August.

It was hoped he would have been back by February but the healing process took longer than expected and he missed the rest of the season. "There was a tear in the cartilage and they could have taken it out, which would have meant a shorter recovery period," he explained.

"But, from a long-term point of view with my career, it was better to repair it. They stitched it up and anticipated it would be three months before I was playing again.

"When it didn't seem to be getting better, I went back to the specilist in February.

"He said everything was perfect but that it was going to take longer than they first thought.

"It has been a killer for me just sitting and watching. I went to a lot of games, away as well, because I wanted to feel part of things.

"But I also felt for the young lads in the side. They needed a bit of help."

Meanwhile, Kevin Gallacher is set to return to the international stage with Scotland at the end of an injury-plagued season.

The Ewood striker has been named in the Scottish squad for their next two Euro 2000 qualifiers along with Rovers team-mate Callum Davidson.

They visit the Faroe Islands on Saturday, June 5, followed by a trip to Prague to meet the Czech Republic four days later.

Gallacher started only 13 Premiership games - making three more appearances as a sub - in Rovers' relegation season because of a variety of injuries. But he started the last match at Newcastle and, with Craig Brown's well-documented problems in attack, will be a welcome recall to the Scottish squad.

There must be a good chance of Gallacher featuring in both matches, similarly Davidson, who had his best game at international level when the Scots pulled off a shock away win over Germany in the recent friendly.

Ex-Rover Colin Hendry, now fit again, is also included by Brown but there is no place for Ewood's Christian Dailly, who has not started a game since December 28.

He was on the bench at Newcastle but is clearly not deemed fit enough to be considered. Likewise Billy McKinlay, who has not yet had to have more surgery on his recurring groin problems but has played only 45 minutes of football since the end of January.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.