FA Cup 4th round: Blackburn Rovers v Sunderland - Peter White's big match preview

LAST season he had the audacity to smash Brian Clough's 36-year-old club goalscoring record.

This season, despite a serious toe injury which sidelined him for nearly four months, he has still managed nine goals, including a stunner on his comeback at QPR two weeks ago.

Kevin Phillips is the hero of the fanatical Sunderland supporters and, tomorrow, his prolific strike partnership with Nial Quinn will provide the major threat to Blackburn Rovers' FA Cup hopes.

Nearly 40,000 worshippers regularly trek to the Stadium of Light to idolise Phillips, a 25-year-old striker who reached the milestone of a half-century of League goals before he had clocked up 100 appearances!

His qualities have been shown time and again at First Division level and he is eager to prove them against Premiership opposition.

Sunderland's assistant manager Bobby Saxton believes the Quinn-Phillips combination works because "they complement each other tremendously well".

And the ex-Ewood boss said of Phillips: "He damaged a toe and it was a major problem. But he's over that now, had his second game back last Sunday and is getting fitter and fitter.

"He had a tremendous season last season and got goals again early doors this season.

"Hopefully he will continue to do what he is good at - putting the ball in the net."

Partner Quinn is even more fulsome in praise of his team-mate. "He just confounds you all the time," said his fellow-striker.

"When he first came and started doing what he was doing, we thought 'This won't last'.

"Then he did it again, probably even better, and you think 'This guy is exceptional but it's going to be tough for him in the second year'.

"In his first dozen games this season he scored nine goals and every time the ball comes near him he looks as if he's going to do something.

"We went to QPR in his first game for three and a half months and he gets one sniff from 20 yards from a ridiculously hard ball, side on to goal, and he flicks it into the top corner on the volley.

"You don't know where it's going to stop.

"I can't see a weakness in his game.

"I've played with some great players. John Aldridge was probably the best goalscorer of them all but if you knocked the ball up to John, to feet with a defender behind him, he wasn't at his best.

"He'd have to be sniffing in and around the box running towards goal.

"But Kevin Phillips can do anything. You can get the ball up to him and he can hold it up, or you can put it in front of him. He can play anywhere.

"As a centre forward, he's got no restrictions. He's a small lad but he must have scored 12 or 15 headers last season.

"He reminds me of Kevin Keegan. Keegan was small but he had so much to his game."

Rovers have been warned!

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