EGIL OSTENSTAD sends his regrets - that he won't be able to experience the reception he could have expected at Fratton Park tonight.

The Norwegian striker who travelled north to Ewood Park as part of the deal that brought Kevin Davies back to The Dell will not be making a quick return to the South Coast as part of the Blackburn squad for tonight's Worthington Cup.

Rovers' boss Brian Kidd's large squad means Ostenstad is likely to be rested after taking a kick in Saturday's 2-0 win over Tranmere, and he is genuinely sorry that he won't be there to savour the special welcome reserved for former Saints at Fratton Park.

"I have never played at Fratton Park and I understand that I would have got quite a hot reception," said Ostendstad.

"I'm sorry that I won't be part of it. I expect Jeff Kenna will take all the stick now," said Ostenstad. "That sort of thing is all part of football and really winds you up and probably helps you to play a bit better."

Like the rest of his Blackburn team-mates, Ostenstad is still trying to come to terms with life in Division 1, but reckons Blackburn still have Premier Division quality.

"We have a bigger squad of players here than we did at The Dell and that means Brian Kidd can rest people when he feels he needs to," he said.

Ostenstad is also coming to terms with life under a new manager and in his first month at Ewood Park he likes what he sees of new boss Brian Kidd.

"In many ways, he and Dave Jones are similar characters but Brian is much more hands-on and takes charge of the training," he said.

"We have some brilliant training sessions and we train more here than we did at Southampton. "I think he's brought a lot of ideas from Old Trafford as I know a few of the Norwegian boys who play for Manchester United and they always used to tell me how good the training was."

Ashley Ward and Nathan Blake are likely to lead the attack for a Blackburn side who have performed better on the road than they have at Ewood Park, while one-time Saints target Matt Jansen could play the hole-role behind them.

Rovers' biggest concerns surround Lee Carsley and Craig Short, both of whom are suffering from a virus.

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