KEVIN Gallacher is back in business and determined to try and play a part in Blackburn Rovers' desperate battle for Premiership survival.

It was hats off to the injury-dogged Scottish international star at Ewood last night, as he banged in three goals for Rovers Reserves against Preston last night, after being out for more than three months.

And Gallacher, who has only made eight Premiership starts this season, scoring four goals, said with a broad smile - It's great to be back.

If things go well, he could even push himself back into manager Brian Kidd's thinking for Rovers' next crunch game, against Southampton at the Dell.

After producing 45 minutes of non-stop action, Gallacher was substituted as pre-arranged and said: "It's so good to be back on the pitch again after months in the gym. It felt like I was never going to come back.

"And it's always good to score, it gives you more confidence to try things.

"I wasn't meant to be playing originally, the manager didn't want me to play.

"But, rather than train, I wanted to play and get sharpness back in my game.

"So we came to an agreement of playing a half and see how it goes.

"And, to be honest, in the aftermath, I am very happy I have done it.

"It's been very frustrating."

"When you know you are very close to coming back and you break down you think that's me set back for another couple of weeks.

"If it happens three or four times it's a bit of a nightmare.

"But I have just gritted my teeth and got on with things.

"I think some newspapers have twice written my season off. I knew myself and so did the medical staff that my season wasn't finished. I knew I was going to get back at some stage, it just mattered when.

"Hopefully, last night is just the start of it. "I got a few kicks, bumps and bruises but you have to put up with these things.

"As far as injuries go, everything is going all right so far.

"I am trying to get back as quick as my body and injuries will let me.

"The sooner the better but I needed the game. I needed just to get into the atmosphere of being on the pitch again.

"training sessions have been good. I have been sharp in training and I have been happy with the way things have been going.

"But I just needed to be part of a game, get the feeling of it again and last night was a good stepping-stone."

Gallacher hasn't played since January 2, suffering a calf injury and other setbacks such as a thigh problem.

Meanwhile, referee Graham Poll has revealed to Kidd that he handed Keith Gillespie a second yellow card in Tuesday night's penalty incident for treading on Dennis Bergkamp's hand after he had brought down the Dutchman.

Just seconds after Poll had booked Gillespie for conceding the penalty, he showed the second yellow and, at first, it seemed it was for something the Northern Ireland winger had said.

Gillespie will miss the home Premiership game against Liverpool on April 24 and so too will Callum Davidson, who collected his fifth booking of the season in the Arsenal defeat.

The timing of Davidson's yellow card was particularly unfortunate.

For, after Sunday, the automatic bans for reaching five and eight cautions are scrapped. So if he could have survived one more trouble-free match he would have been in the clear.

At least Rovers' other players who were walking a tight line in the disciplinary stakes can breathe more easily.

But anyone who reaches 11 yellow cards for the season still has to appear before the Football Association.

Nathan Blake missed out on the chance of reserve team action last night as he is under treatment for an Achilles injury collected on international duty.

Matt Jansen had his cartilage operation yesterday. As we revealed, the striker is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Damien Duff scored a second half goal as the Republic of Ireland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the FIFA Youth World Championship in Ibadan, Nigeria yesterday.

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