KEVIN Gallacher is eyeing an Easter return to action to bolster Rovers' Premiership survival campaign.

Gallacher hasn't played since Blackburn's 1-0 win over Charlton at the turn of the year because of a calf injury.

But the Scottish international is back in full training and hopeful of being available for selection for the visit of Middlesbrough on Saturday week.

Gallacher has been kept out of the reserve line-up to play at Liverpool tonight and confirmed: "I think the manager wants me to have training sessions. I'm ready in training now so it could be any time. It's looking quite good."

The striker's return will be a major tonic for manager Brian Kidd, who will want as many options open to him as possible for the games against Middlesbrough and Arsenal four days later, and for the remainder of the season.

"That's the important part of it. We've got good quality players but unfortunately a lot of the lads have been injured," said Kidd, who may look to test Gallacher's fitness against Birmingham reserves next Wednesday night.

"He has been in for his first two days back on football work. We are hoping there is no reaction to that. We are keeping our fingers crossed and then we will be looking to getting him in a reserve game," Kidd added.

For Gallacher, it will be a case of making up for lost time and trying to help Rovers win their relegation fight.

"I would like to have been able to play more of a part. It's been disappointing but it's one of those things.

"Hopefully the lads will get a buzz with some of the players coming back and there should be some good times ahead," he added. As well as Gallacher's possible return, Kidd is also hopeful that the groin injury which has ruled Chris Sutton out of Kevin Keegan's England plans this weekend will clear up before the Easter programme.

"He has worked his socks off to get fit and it's just been through a little bit of fatigue but nothing has shown up on the scan," reported Kidd.

With Kevin Davies looking to build on his four-goal blast in the reserves on Monday night with another run out in the Pontins League at Liverpool tonight, Kidd's striking resources are showing signs of coming together at just the right time. "To be fair to Kevin he hasn't had a lot of games either. It's been a tough season for him with his illness and everything but to get four goals at any level is very good," added the Rovers boss.

While Sutton has experienced international disappointment, Gallacher had already come to terms with missing Scotland's European Championship qualifier with Bosnia this weekend and is channelling all his efforts into getting fit for Rovers. Gallacher said: "I knew a couple of games ago that it would be pretty hard to get in the squad.

"First and foremost the thing is to get fit. If I had got fit and played a game and then not got back into the squad it would have been more disappointing."

As well as Davies, goalkeeper Tim Flowers will be in action with the reserves at Anfield.

The squad is: Flowers, Richardson, Murphy, Scates, Taylor, Brown, McEvoy, Dunn, Hamilton, Davies, Fitzpatrick, Burgess, Stewart, Douglas, Howson, Forsyth.

One bit of transfer activity at Ewood Park before this afternoon's 5pm deadline saw young Wales under-21 goalkeeper Anthony Williams complete a loan move to Second Division Bristol Rovers.

And former Rovers winger George Donis has linked up with First Division play-off chasers Sheffield United on a trial basis.

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