Wallace quick to make his mark for Whites ROD Wallace was being tipped today to get the goals that will keep Wanderers in the Premiership hunt and repay Sam Allardyce for bringing him out of the wilderness.

The former Southampton and Leeds striker, redundant after Glasgow Rangers refused to extend his contract in the summer, made a sensational return to English football when he scored the goal that earned Wanderers a share of the derby spoils at Blackburn.

And Mike Whitlow believes his old team-mate will follow up with more.

"Rod's always scored goals and always will score goals," the in-form defender said of the quicksilver 31-year-old. "I was with him many moons ago at Leeds and he always scored goals then. He's a smashing bloke.

"He'd only been here a few days and I think he was quite surprised to be involved but he's scored a great goal and the lads couldn't believe it - 3ft 6ins and he scores a headed goal!"

Wanderers were disappointed not to claim all three points after Wallace's 69th minute header and left Ewood Park blaming themselves for dropping their guard when Lucas Neill headed the equaliser three minutes from the end of normal time.

But the point took them back to the top of the Premiership, ahead of Leeds on goal difference, and they go to Arsenal on Saturday pleased to have bounced back after suffering their only defeat of the season at home to Southampton.

"We said before the game that we would take a point at Blackburn after Saturday's disappointment but when you're so close to three, it's disappointing," Whitlow admitted. "But we've got 11 now, one more than we had, and we're enjoying it.

"Blackburn beat us twice last season - in fact they thrashed us twice - and they are a good team but our team spirit wasn't hit last night." Sam Allardyce, who yesterday completed the signing of 21-year-old Jamaican midfielder, Jermaine Johnson on a three year deal, elected for a change of formation at Ewood Park after Nicky Southall, who had been expected to stand in for the injured Per Frandsen, was ruled out.

"Nicky said he felt a tight hamstring yesterday morning," the manager explained. "He felt he could play and the physio felt he could have played but I didn't want to go into a derby with anyone feeling anything.

"And when I looked at the players I had available I had no option but to play a 4-4-2."

It seems of little consequence to the manager that Wanderers are back on top of the Premiership.

"I'm not bothered about that," he said. "I was just bothered about getting something out of that game last night. At times we played an awful lot better against Southampton but we got nothing.

"But we defended well again. That's been the mainstay of our season."

Praising the performances of Gudni Bergsson and Mike Whitlow at the heart of a back four that has conceded just three goals in six Premiership games, the manager added: "Blackburn threw every man and his dog forward and but for those two we would have conceded many more chances." From back page Whites are back on top