Wanderers Reserves 3, Birmingham Reserves 2: MIKE Whitlow's hopes of helping Wanderers in their survival mission have suffered a setback.

The luckless veteran defender was aiming to play his way back into Premiership reckoning after five weeks on the sidelines with a knee ligament injury but lasted only 19 minutes of the reserves' 3-2 victory over Birmingham at Gigg Lane on Monday night.

Whitlow confirmed the injury was to the same knee but explained: "I came off as a precaution. I expect to be back in training later this week."

The second string's third successive win in the Premiership Reserve League also cost Sam Allardyce the services of 19-year-old defender Nicky Hunt, who spent the night in hospital after breaking and dislocating his shoulder and will be out for the rest of the season.

Allardyce, who saw the youngster crash into the advertising hoardings on the pitch perimeter, said today: "I'm totally gutted for the lad. He's been part of our first team plans of late and it's just a shame that this has happened at this stage of the season."

Despite the double blow, Wanderers recorded their third successive win in the Premier Reserve League.

They went ahead on 15 minutes when Gareth Farrelly, again watched by Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore - pounced to hit his second goal in successive games after Blues' young keeper Clint Davies could only parry a shot from the outstanding Jermain Johnson.

Birmingham were level six minutes into the second half when Polish international Piotr Swierczewski deceived Wanderers' keeper Jeremy Bon with a 20-yard shot but Johnson, whose only senior start this season came in the Worthington Cup defeat by Bury in October, scored twice in four minutes and was denied his hat-trick by a good save from Davies.

Blues' substitute Dean Curtis pulled one back five minutes from time but Wanderers held out for a well-deserved win.

u=BA96F4FBWanderers: Bon, Eckersley, Hunt (Forschelet 33 mins), Livesey, Whitlow (Platt 19 mins), Niven, Tofting, Farrelly, Armstrong, Facey, Johnson.