COLIN Hendry will be let off the leash on Monday when Wanderers ring the changes for their Worthington Cup clash with Nottingham Forest.

Hendry, a major player in the promotion success last season, has not had a sniff of Premiership action because of a knee injury. And his demeanour has not been helped by a three-match ban that has kept him out of Scotland's World Cup campaign

"He's frustrated," Sam Allardyce confirmed, "like a raging bull."

But while Hendry can curse his luck, he has had no cause to go banging on the manager's door. "Colin's sensible enough," the manager explains. "He only has to sit and watch to realise the main two players behind this season's productive results have been Gudni Bergsson and Mike Whitlow. He couldn't really get past those two on their performances in the eight Premiership games.

"They have been extremely productive together and limited the opportunities of the opposition."

An unfortunate red card when he returned to captain Wanderers in the second round against Walsall merely added to Hendry's frustrations but he will get another chance on Monday to put his name back in the Premiership frame.

Steve Banks, Ian Marshall, Bruno N'Gotty, Rod Wallace and Michael Ricketts are all in the running to start the game. Jussi Jaaskelainen, Jermaine Johnson and Akinori Nishizawa, who are all on international duty this weekend, are unlikely to figure while Ricardo Gardner is suspended, Per Frandsen is ruled out through injury, and Gareth Farrelly, Nicky Southall and Djibril Diawara all face fitness tests.

"I wouldn't call it a weakened team," Allardyce insisted, "but an opportunity for a lot of frustrated players to show what they can do in what will be a very, very competitive game.

"I know Forest boss Paul Hart has gone to great lengths to make sure Stern John didn't go on international duty with Trinidad and Tobago and with David Johnson there, they have a pretty potent strikeforce.