KEVIN Gallacher hopes the best is yet to come from an Ewood career which the Scottish international happily extended this week.

"I feel I am only now getting back to where I was before," said a player, who has had to show great courage and determination to overcome a series of major injury problems, including two broken legs.

Like other Premiership clubs, Blackburn Rovers are conscious of the need to try to keep players on contracts of decent length, due to the implications of Bosman.

But it still came as something of a surprise that Rovers were able to conclude another internal deal while they remain without a permanent manager.

Gallacher, however, revealed today that he had been speaking to the club for some time before this week's two-year extension was signed and sealed - to his delight.

"I was talking to the chairman and to Ray about it before the change of manager," he said.

"The club are aware of what can happen since the Bosman ruling but they didn't have to do anything about it. I am just pleased they did. The offer showed there was something between me and the club."

Gallacher's popularity with the fans is not in doubt and his recent performances have seen him approaching the sort of form he showed when he first moved to Ewood - before injuries began to plague him.

And he believes there is still more to come. "Maybe there was a stage when I thought I was back to where I was before. But I wasn't," he said.

"Now I think I am getting there and I just want to hold my place down here under Tony (Parkes) and, when a new manager takes over, I hope I am one of the first names on his teamsheet."

Meanwhile, caretaker-boss Parkes admitted that, as time goes on, it could become tougher for him to get results.

"Yes, there's pressure to keep the run going," he said.

"Now people are looking to me to win, win, win.

"And, as time passes, you do get one or two different problems.

"Initially, people leave it with you. You are just in temporary charge. But as you are in charge for longer, things happen.

"Players might start to ask the question as to when they will get in the team.

"But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

"I would like something to happen over the manager sooner rather than later, if only for the sake of the players.

"They are always wondering when something is going to happen. "If the chairman doesn't say anything for a couple of days, that tells me there is nothing imminent.

"And I am sure I will be the first to know when there is a development. There's no problem with that."

Parkes also confirmed that the club were still running the rule over potential new players, especially abroad.

While they wait for a new boss to be appointed - and, as I read it, Sven Goran Eriksson remains the leading name in the frame - the rest of the club continues to function as normal.

"We are still looking at players and we will continue to do so," said Parkes. "We still need to know who the good players are, especially those abroad.

"I think everybody's in the same boat in the Premiership.

"No-one looks too long over here nowadays. Everyone is spreading the net forther."

Although today's game at Leicester was only his sixth in charge of the side as caretaker-boss, Parkes is now into the longest - in terms of time - of his three spells in the role.

It is 43 days since Ray Harford resigned and he was asked to assume control. "I didn't expect it to go on so long," he admitted.

"It might not have done if results hadn't gone as well as they have done.

"I sometimes wonder - though it's difficult to envisage - what would have happened if they hadn't been as good.

"Would we have already got a manager and a man that we didn't really want?"

Happily, the revival under Parkes has helped to buy the club some time in the ongoing search for the right man.

Rovers will be at home to Port Vale in the second round of the FA Youth Cup. Vale beat Preston in the first round.

Draw for the third round of the FA Cup will take place on Monday night at approximately 10.15pm. It will be shown "live" on BBC 2 and broadcast on Radio Five.

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