FRED Barber was told "thanks but no thanks" when he offered to come out of retirement to solve Wanderers' goalkeeping problem.

The 38-years-old former Darlington, Walsall and Peterborough number one, who is now the club's goalkeeping coach, was ready to sign a temporary contract to allow him to sit on the subs' bench as cover for Jussi Jaaskelainen at the Reebok tomorrow.

But Sam Allardyce is prepared to take a gamble and go into the game without a sub keeper if Steve Banks remains sidelined after dislocating his finger in a training ground accident earlier in the week.

"Fred's offered but I haven't taken him up," the Wanderers' boss confirmed. "Steve can play through the pain barrier with no ill effects according to the specialist.

"But if he doesn't make it, we'll go with five outfield players on the bench. It's a chance I'm prepared to take."

Allardyce says he has a number of outfield players willing to go in goal if Jaaskelainen suffers a mishap but insisted: "I'm not prepared to say who they are but it's something we don't want to arise."