ROVERS go to the home of the Premiership wheelers and dealers on Saturday knowing that the Dell boys have already pulled a few fast ones over their fellow championship chasers.

For Southampton, filled with lower league hopefuls and Premiership cast offs, have already knocked the stuffing out of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea - and Rovers could be their next big-name scalp.

In fact, the string of astonishing victories against the league's elite have given David Jones' side an outside chance of qualifying for Europe.

The perennial relegation strugglers are now enjoying the heady heights of mid-table respectability thanks to the manager's blend of old heads and young guns.

Injury-plagued David Hirst is in the goals again, Kevin Richardson is as reliable as ever while Carlton Palmer has been an inspiration since signing from Leeds.

Kevin Davies and Paul Jones have made such an impact since stepping up from the lower divisions that 12-goal Davies is a target for Arsenal as a replacement for Ian Wright while Jones has ousted Neville Southall as the new Welsh number one. Davies could be missing again from the Saints strike force having been sidelined ever since the 1-0 victory against Manchester United last month.

For keeper Tim Flowers and defender Jeff Kenna it will be another annual trip back to the ground where they both made their names in the top flight.

Flowers has been in the wars in recent weeks having picked up a shoulder injury against West Ham on Saturday to go with the rib injury he was already carrying.

But the England keeper is expected to travel to Southampton from where he was signed for £2 million back in 1993.

Another boost for Rovers is the return of Stuart Ripley who missed the FA Cup fifth tie at West Ham with a re-occurrence of the knee injury which forced him to limp out of the previous round at Sheffield Wednesday.

Rovers are back on FA Cup duty next Wednesday when they take on West Ham at Ewood Park in the reply - and Roy Hodgson will be hoping for a repeat of the Hammers last visit.

On that occasion Hodgson's men proved too strong for the Hammers on the day back in December when a Kevin Gallacher goal and two from Damien Duff guided Rovers to a comfortable 3-0 win.

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