SOUTHAMPTON are facing a striker crisis ahead of Saturday's crunch clash with Wanderers.

Only Marian Pahars is fit and available for the Premiership game writes Dave King of the Southern Daily Echo

INJURED is 12-goal James Beattie.

SUSPENDED for one game is Kevin Davies.

INJURED is £1.75million signing Brett Ormerod.

INJURED is talismanic Matt Le Tissier.

INJURED is £3.5million signing Agustin Delgado.

"This is a beauty of a problem," admitted manager Gordon Strachan with master understatement. "At the moment the only thing I can do is panic!"

Strachan had hoped that Beattie and Ormerod might push themselves into contention for the game after being sidelined for the past month with injury.

Twenty three year-old Beattie dislocated his ankle against Manchester United when he was in the middle of a goal-scoring purple patch. He trained yesterday, but ended the session with a tight calf.

"The ankle feels fine, but the calf feels tight which is normal when you have not trained for a while," said Beattie.

"It is nothing major and the Gaffer has told me to take it easy. I am not going to take any risks.

"I know Kevin is suspended and there is an opening, but it it is not right, it is not right.

"I don't want to risk it and be out for another three weeks."

Ormerod was injured last month after netting on his first start for Southampton during a reserve outing against Watford. He damaged knee ligaments. He is expected to begin training tomorrow, but is short of match fitness.

Le Tissier has picked up another knock to rule him out of the reckoning.

Delgado flew home to Ecuador on Monday for treatment on his damaged knee and is not expected to return to the south coast for another four weeks.

It leaves Strachan thin on the ground for strikers.

Promising teenage striker Scott McDonald, who started the Worthington Cup tie at Brighton last September, was disappointing for the reserves against Arsenal on Monday, and was hauled off at half-time.

The Southampton manager might choose to gamble on youth, or he may plump for Jo Tessem, who was a striker in Norway, and came on as substitute at Arsenal to pair with Pahars when he bagged a late equaliser.

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