MARIAN PAHARS must wait another week before attempting his latest comeback from injury.

The seemingly-jinxed striker was all set to start his first reserve match since December against Chelsea at Aldershot's Recreation Ground last night.

But an unseasonal downpour in north Hampshire forced a late postponement - spectators had already started arriving when the match was called off 45 minutes before the scheduled 7pm kick off.

The 28-year-old was originally due to have returned from his latest ankle setback against Norwich reserves two weeks ago, but the Latvian international withdrew through sickness.

He must now wait until next Tuesday's home clash with Coventry reserves at Staplewood before setting out on his latest bid to put his injury nightmare behind him.

Pahars, once Saints' most lethal striker in the Premiership, has only started 11 Premiership matches since the beginning of the 2002/03 campaign. He has also made 12 sub appearances.

Amazingly, he has only completed 90 minutes twice for the first team in that time - both times in goalless draws against Charlton in September 2002 and Fulham in February 2004 respectively.

Pahars' last Premiership appearance for Saints was under Paul Sturrock when he scored in the 2-1 home loss to Bolton on April 24 last year.

Four days later he came on as a second half substitute for Latvia against Iceland in a friendly, but lasted only 13 minutes before picking up another ankle injury.

Though that finished his Saints season, he had recovered to figure in Latvia's three European Championship finals game - playing all three as a second half sub.

He was fit enough to go on Saints' pre-season tour of Sweden and scored in one of the friendlies in Scandinavia.

But on his return to England he hobbled off in the first half of a friendly win at Swindon with another ankle injury - and since then has managed less than an hour in two reserve games in December against Leicester and Fulham.

Boss Harry Redknapp will have been frustrated by last night's postponement.

With Saints only possessing three experienced strikers at present - Peter Crouch, Henri Camara and Kevin Phillips - a fit-again Pahars would be a certainty in Redknapp's match-day squads.

Redknapp has sent Brett Ormerod, Dexter Blackstock and Kenwyne Jones on loan to Wigan, Plymouth and Stoke respectively - in all, Saints currently have TWELVE players out on loan.

That leaves only FA Youth Cup striker and reserve top scorer Leon Best, 18, as striking cover for his main three forwards.

French winger Fabrice Fernandes was also due to make a comeback from an ankle injury last night. He has not figured under Harry Redknapp since the 3-3 draw with Fulham in early January.

Stewart Henderson's men, second in the reserve south league behind champions-elect Charlton, will host Coventry aiming for a fifth straight win.

But they will do so with a primarily young side - the game comes just 24 hours before Saints' under-18s welcome Wolves to St Mary's for the first leg of their FA Youth Cup semi-final.

The likes of Best, David McGoldrick, Nathan Dyer and Craig Richards, who were all due to face Chelsea's youngsters last night, certainly won't face Coventry.

They might even be rested when Georges Prost's under-18s travel to Bristol City on Saturday.