KEVIN Gallacher is wondering if there is a curse on Blackburn Rovers as he prepares for a possible return to first-team action in Saturday's six-pointer at Southampton.

For, no sooner is Gallacher challenging for a recall than his partner-in-goals from last season, Chris Sutton, has become the latest victim of Ewood's incredible injury jinx.

Last winter, Gallacher (16) and Sutton (18) formed the Premiership's most prolific strike partnership with 34 goals between them.

In the current troubled campaign, they have started only three matches together - home wins over Leicester and Aston Villa and a defeat at Tottenham.

"That's just the way things have been going this season and it's frustrating for everybody," said the Scot, who also missed out on a crucial Euro 2000 qualifier because of a long-standing calf problem.

"We just can't seem to get the first XI out.

"I'm coming back now but Chris is out.

"It's been a nightmare, I think somebody must have cursed us somewhere along the line.

"That's why you have to have other players in the squad. You can't just rely on having two up front.

"And we are down to three fit strikers at the moment."

Gallacher's last senior appearance was at the beginning of the year but he managed 45 minutes for the reserves last week, looked quite sharp and scored a hat-trick!

Manager Brian Kidd left him out of the Pontin's League fixture against Everton at Goodison tonight (kick-off 7pm).

And that could be an indication that Kidd does not want to risk Gallacher before Saturday.

But new signing Lee Carsley has recovered sufficiently from his injury against Arsenal to be included in tonight's squad.

Apart from missing out on a possible re-union with Sutton, Gallacher is much happier about his own fitness.

"I was a little bit stiff the day after the reserve game but that's only to be expected," he said. "We are now down to three fit strikers so I don't know if I will play at Everton.

"But everything is fine and going to plan as far as my fitness is concerned."

Despite his absence from the team, or perhaps because of it, Gallacher knows time is start to run out in the battle against the drop.

"I am ready for it now, that 45 minutes for the reserves gave me a big lift," he added.

"But these games are crucial.

"We need to win games and we can't afford to drop points."

Meanwhile, all three of the players Rovers have signed from Southampton could be missing from the starting line-up when the clubs clash at The Dell on Saturday.

Jeff Kenna is on the long-term injured list, Kevin Davies has started only one of the last 13 Premiership matches and Tim Flowers has found John Filan an immoveable object since the Australian got his chance through an injury to the England keeper.

Flowers, of course, put in a transfer request which was formally rejected by the board.

Officially that situation has not changed.

But if there is interest in the keeper, who has stressed he needs first team football, especially at this stage of his career, then I am sure Rovers would look at it differently once the relegation issue is settled.

Third-choice keeper Alan Fettis is another who will consider his future in summer, as he explained at the time of the last international fixtures when he lost his place in the Northern Ireland side.

Incidentally, neither of the two ex-Rovers who went the other way, Stuart Ripley and James Beattie, were involved in the Saints team which started at Villa last Saturday.

Both were on the bench.

Rovers Academy under-19s will visit Nottingham Forest in the next stage of their knockout competition on Saturday.

They were handed a walkover in the first round after Coventry withdrew but Forest, who won their section by a substantial margin, are expected to prove tough opposition.

The under-17s are still waiting to discover who they face after beating Peterborough, with Forest and QPR still to meet.

The reserves squad for tonight is: Flowers, Richardson, Murphy, Scates, Brown, Howson, McAvoy, Fitzpatrick, Burgess, Hamilton, Hardy, Douglas, Bingham, Richards, Dunning R, Dunning D, Carsley.

Blackburn are likely to insist that Jason McAteer, Lee Carsley and Damien Duff stay at Ewood Park with Brian Kidd's men fighting to avoid relegation after the trio were named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly against England's forthcoming European championship opponents Sweden at Lansdowne Road on April 28.

Robbie Fowler was set to announce today whether he is going to lodge an appeal against the six-match ban imposed on him by the Football Association. If he decides not to appeal he would not be available for Liverpool's visit to Ewood on April 24.

Former Rovers coach Derek Fazackerley has joined Bolton Wanderers coaching staff until the end of the season.

Fazackerley was axed after Brian Kidd's Ewood arrival but has since linked up with Kevin Keegan in the new England coaching set-up.

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