Kidd's back in for McAteer

I understand Rovers are making a renewed bid to prise the Republic of Ireland international away from Liverpool and that he remains high on Ewood boss Brian Kidd's list of potential transfer targets.

McAteer's Anfield salary was seen as the original stumbling block to a move. For the player has long been thought to be unsettled about his football prospects at Anfield where he has been unable to nail down a regular place.

Whether Rovers can find a way round that remains to be seen but it would not surprise me if they were able to make progress in the very near future.

With an alarming Ewood injury situation showing few signs of easing, Rovers are also being hit by suspensions.

Tim Sherwood and Billy McKinlay will both miss Saturday's game against Spurs, while Jeff Kenna will collect a one-match ban for his sending-off on Saturday.

Along with Kenna, Stephane Henchoz will miss the game against Aston Villa with a one-game ban after five yellow cards.

Despite speculation, there have not been any moves for Ewood striker Nathan Blake and Ewood chief executive John Williams dismssed a story that Rovers were chasing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Celtic are said to be interested in Kevin Gallacher but have not made a bid, while rumnours that Alan Fettis had put in a transfer request have been denied.

If there was a serious bid for Fettis, however, it is likely that Rovers would consider it. He is an international but only third choice at the moment.

Marseille have only until this weekend if they are to clinch the signing of Sebatsien Perez who missed Saturday's cup tie after picking up a knock.

It was touch and go against Sunderland, with so many players missing and, when Rovers lost Jeff Kenna to a red card, their chances of winning seemed remote. Kidd said: "I was hoping my mam had lit plenty of candles during the week for me - and that they were big ones not little ones. It's costing her a fortune at the moment!

"But all credit to the players. I have every confidence in them."

The manager, however, refuses to look as far ahead as the fifth round and a plum tie at Newcastle.

"That's a million miles away at the moment and I haven't even given it a thought," he said.

"I'm not being flippant. We are all aware of the situation we are in and there are far more important games to come before that. All my thoughts are channelled into Saturday's match against Spurs."

The draw means an early return to Newcastle for winger Keith Gillespie whose goal saw off First Division leaders Sunderland.

"I wasn't happy with my football there," he said. "I was a bit disillusioned at Newcastle, so I was happy to get away and I am starting to perform on a more consistent basis.

"It's hard when you go down to 10 men but we have shown we are fairly resilient at the moment.

"We aren't conceding many goals and, hopefully, we can go on from there."

Gillespie scored the matchwinner in the previous home game against Leeds but the goals were very different.

"I got a bit more power on this one and I was delighted to see it go in because we didn't look like scoring," he added. Sunderland boss Peter Reid felt his team deserved something from the game.

"Sometimes you don't get what you deserve in football," he said. "I thought our movement and passing was great.

"They made it difficult with the system they played in the first half but we were probably unlucky not to go in front in the first half.

"Although we haven't won, we have done well and shown people we can play good football."

Meanwhile, John Filan breathed a sigh of relief when x-rays cleared him of any serious damage to his neck or back after falling awkwardly following an aerial challenge on Saturday.

"When I hit the floor, I thought 'Oh no something's gone'. But, fortunately, everything seems okay," said the keeper.

"I really thought I had done something bad but I'm okay.

"There's nothing broken and I'll just have to wait a couple of days to see how the muscles and ligaments are."

Filan returned to Ewood on Saturday evening to get changed and left wearing a surgical collar on his neck.

He admitted he was a bit stiff but revealed he had not been knocked unconscious by the fall.

"I was just a bit dazed," he added.

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