COURAGEOUS striker Matt Jansen today vowed to come back better than ever as he prepares to return from the road accident that almost cost him his life.

Blackburn Rovers' leading scorer of the last two seasons will attempt to take another tentative step on the comeback trail tomorrow night by making his first appearance of the season in the reserves at Everton.

But the fact he is even contemplating kicking a ball in anger again is miraculous in itself when you consider the mental and physical torture his body has been through during the last four months.

It's not that long since Jansen appeared to have the football world at his feet.

Towards the end of last season, he was in the form of his life, scoring goals for fun alongside Andy Cole in the Rovers attack, which very nearly led to him gate-crashing England's World Cup party.

However, within a month of the season ending, that world suddenly came crashing down around his ears after a motorbike accident during a holiday in Italy left him clinging to life itself.

Jansen did what the Romans do when he hired a scooter with his girlfriend in order to explore the sights dotted around the Italian capital.

But what started off as a bit of harmless fun, very nearly ended in disaster as the couple were involved in a collision with a taxi which could have been fatal had they not been wearing crash helmets.

Jansen spent the next 10 days lying in a hospital bed, completely oblivious as to what was happening around him.

And even now, when he looks back on the whole terrifying experience, he finds it difficult to comprehend just how lucky he was to come out of it alive.

"The last few months have been frightening," said Jansen.

"I was in a coma for four days and I had a slight brain haemorrhage.

"If it had been any worse then they would have had to operate but, thankfully, they didn't need to because it settled down and I came out of the coma.

"Apparently, the first thing I did when I came around was swear because the doctor was banging my chest so hard, trying to waken me up.

"It then came as a massive shock to hear what had happened but the doctors and the physios have been fantastic with me and I owe a lot to them for the fact that I'm still here now."

What made the whole experience even more traumatic was the fact he couldn't remember anything about the actual incident which resulted in him being hospitalised in the first place.

"I can't remember a thing about the accident," confessed Jansen.

"I don't remember being on the bike at all or anything that really happened that day.

"My last memory is probably of the day before when we visited the Vatican, but that's about it, then nothing for the next 10 days.

"After that, everything was dreamy for about three or four weeks.

"I knew people but I wasn't 100 per cent and I certainly wasn't sharp.

"I just didn't feel the same within myself. I didn't really know what had happened, and I didn't know what I'd done.

"To make matters worse, my mum and dad were also away at my brother's wedding so I was staying with my girlfriend and her mum and dad.

"It was only when I came back here that I gradually got better and better and I've been improving ever since."

Still groggy and clearly traumatised by the ordeal, Jansen set about the painstaking task of putting his life back together.

But in the early stages, there was no guarantees that he would make a complete recovery.

At one point, the specialists even warned members of his family that he may never play football again.

"They never said that to me personally, they said it to Jay, my brother-in-law," said the striker.

"They said there was a possibility that I'd never play again but it depended on how my brain recovered.

"Jay didn't tell me, initially. I only found out the second time I went to see the neurosurgeon.

"But, obviously, I had doubts and worries within myself.

"I've always set high standards for myself throughout my life so there was always going to be doubts.

"Everyone has bad games but if I played badly would I start thinking is it my head or is it me?

"So it was a worrying time but, hopefully, that's all behind me now."

The fact he is now on the brink of a playing return is a glowing tribute to his own self-belief and dedication, as well as the help and support of Rovers' medical team.

There is no specific treatment for the type of head injury he sustained other than rest and recuperation.

However, he has had to undergo a series of rigorous neurology tests along the road back to full fitness, purely to convince the experts that he is ready to return.

"It's been a slow process because there is no specific treatment," explained Jansen.

"All you can do is rest and then try and ease yourself back into things after that.

"Originally, I was told it would be January before I would play again, if I did return.

"But I've made a quicker recovery than expected and that has now been revised to the middle of October.

"I've done neurological tests and exams and all different things like that and I've passed them all.

"Part of my training also involved using what's called a reactor.

"What happens is you have a screen in front of you which has lots of circles and two light up all the time which you have to jump on.

"The club record was 27 seconds and I beat that so it was then that they suddenly thought I might be back quicker than expected and things have gone on from there."

So with one battle won, he now faces another one entirely as he prepares to play again competitively for the first time since May.

After sustaining such a serious injury, will he have the mental strength necessary to put his head in where the boots are flying -- a key requirement in the make-up of a successful Premiership striker?

"That doesn't worry me. I don't remember anything about the accident so there's nothing that makes me worry about tackling, heading a ball, or going in for challenges," said Jansen.

"It's been a long lay-off so I'm just trying to get used to using a ball again in the proper way.

"I've been doing lots of fitness work and a lot of passing and shooting.

"But I haven't really done much one-on-one stuff so this is new to me again."

If he needed any extra incentive to return, then it has come in the shape of England's European Qualifiers with Slovakia and Macedonia.

Had things panned out differently, Jansen might have been included in Sven Goran Eriksson's squad for the two games.

But he has certainly not given up on his international dreams and the thought of pulling on the famous three lions one day will be all the motivation he needs if he steps out in the humble surroundings of Widnes's Autoquest Stadium tomorrow.

"That's frustrated me hugely. Apparently, I narrowly missed out on a World Cup place so I might have been in with a chance of being involved in these games.

"But if I can come back and play well again then I'm sure I'll get another chance.

"That's the pinnacle of anyone's career, it's the thing that's driving me on, and that's what I'm aiming towards."

FACTFILE:

JANUARY 1999 -- Signs for Rovers in a £4 million deal from Crystal Palace and scores a cracker on his debut against Spurs

MAY 1999 -- Despite chipping in with a few goals up front, he can't save his new club from relegation to the First Division

MAY 2001 -- Nets his 23rd League goal of a brilliant season against Preston to secure Rovers a dream ticket back to the Premiership

FEBRUARY 2002 -- Bags the opening goal in the Worthington Cup final as Rovers beat Spurs 2-1 at Cardiff to qualify for Europe

APRIL 2002 -- Gets a call-up to the England squad for the friendly against Paraguay but he has to pull out with a stomach bug

MAY 2002 -- A motorbike crash leaves him fighting for his life in an Italian hospital

OCTOBER 2002 -- Hoping to make a comeback in the reserves against Everton