KEVIN Gallacher helped Blackburn Rovers avoid a striker crisis against Walsall on Saturday - and confirmed that he would still like to sign a new contract at Ewood Park.
The Scottish international, whose present contract expires at the end of this season and who has reportedly attracted interest from Sunderland, was a last-minute call-up after Egil Ostenstad had been ruled out through illness.
Matt Jansen, another virus victim, had already been \discounted and Nathan Blake had done an extra session's training on Friday as he was going to be rested.
But Rovers boss Brian Kidd gave Gallacher the late vote and was rewarded with an excellent performance.
"Happily we had Kevin (Gallacher) on the bench and could play him and I thought he did ever so well," said Kidd.
"But I couldn't chance Nathan."
"I was aiming to rest him, so he did a double session on Friday. He did extra conditioning work in the afternoon.
"But that proved unfortunate. We couldn't use him. He trained with the reserves on Saturday as well and he could have been needed to go on after five minutes. So we couldn't risk it.
"Egil went down before the game. He came in at 20 to 12 and was ill.
"Matty hasn't been well either, since Tuesday.
"It seems to be a virus. Egil was really under the weather so we got the doctor in." Rovers made light work of Walsall and will be looking to extend their unbeaten run at Swindon tomorrow night.
Ostenstad and Jansen will both have fitness checks, although Craig Short and Marlon Broomes are unlikely to have recovered from hamstring strains and Steve Harkness and Keith Gillespie remain under treatment for ankle injuries.
Despite their striking problems, Rovers won quite easily against poor opposition on Saturday and Gallacher stressed after the game that he would still like to sign a new contract to extend his stay with the club.
Although Sunderland were yesterday linked with a move for the player, Wearsiders' boss Peter Reid is thought to be looking for a younger striker to understudy Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.
And if Gallacher puts in more performances like Saturday's, then there must be every chance that he will be made an offer with Kidd stressing today that Gallacher remains in his thoughts.
"If he's not part of my plans why would he be in my squad and why would I play him?" said the manager, who wants the players to show how much they want to be at Ewood.
"What they have to do is prove they want to be with the club," he said.
"They have to prove to me they want to be part of what I am trying to build here.
"If not, fine. I am relaxed about it. Like any player they have to show they are worth a place in the squad."
Having signed Per Frandsen, Kidd was able to revert to his favourite 4-4-2 and his central midfield players were excellent. "If you play a 4-4-2 it's highly demanding of your two central players and your two wide lads as well," he said.
"But it was a controlled performance against Walsall which was pleasing."
Rovers' under-19 side maintained their 100 per cent record with a superb 6-1 win over Coventry at Brockhall. Ben Burgess grabbed a hat-trick and there were other goals from Darren Dunning, Jon Douglas and Gary Hamilton. Gordon Strachan's son Craig scored for Coventry.
There was also a splendid 3-0 win for the under-17s over the Sky Blues. Mark Byrne, Lee Atkinson and Neil Danns, a young midfielder from the Lilleshall national school who has joined Rovers in the face of fierce competition, got the goals.
Rovers have been drawn away to Leeds in the third round of the Worthington Cup.
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