JUSSI Jaaskelainen handed the goalkeeper's shirt to Steve Banks today and told his Reebok team-mates: "I'll see you in the Premiership."

"I'm being positive and I'm sure Steve will do a good job," the Mighty Finn said as he faced up to missing the rest of Wanderers' promotion push.

"They've said I'll be out for about six months so I should be ready for the Premiership. I'm not down ... it's only 18 games. That's football."

Jaaskelainen is expected to fly to Vail, Colorado next weekend to have the damaged anterior ligament in his right knee repaired by the same surgeon who successfully rebuilt Ricardo Gardner's knee last year.

Banks, who took over in goal six minutes into the second half of last Saturday's 2-0 Reebok victory over Tranmere, makes only his second league appearance at Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough tomorrow with tributes from Sam Allardyce ringing in his ears and with the full confidence of his in-form team-mates.

The manager acted swiftly to sign experienced cover in the shape of former Northern Ireland international, Tommy Wright - taking the 37-year-old Manchester City understudy on a three-months loan. But he was just as quick to acknowledge Banks as his number one and confirm that Wright will be on the bench. "I've got every confidence in Steve," Allardyce said today. "He's a very good goalkeeper and he's waited a long time for his chance."

Jaaskelainen, meanwhile, is confident he can make as successful and as speedy a recovery as Gardner did after having similar reconstruction surgery at the world famous Steadman Hawkins Clinic.

"The club said straight away that the best man for the job is over there - Ricardo is proof of that and so are a lot of other top players," he explained.

"I can't do any better than to see the best in the world.

"We come back from a few days in Spain next Thursday and, if the knee has settled down, I will fly to America on Friday for the operation on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. After that I know I'm in for a lot of hard work but, hopefully, I'll come back even stronger."

Wanderers, who have been second in the table for six weeks, could also be without Gudni Bergsson in addition to fellow defender, John O'Kane, who serves the second of a three-match ban. Bergsson will have a fitness test on an Achilles problem tomorrow morning. Anthony Barness is on standby.

Dean Holdsworth returns to the squad, having told Allardyce he is prepared to play after having the stitches removed from the facial wound he suffered in the Yeovil FA Cup tie. Nicky Summerbee, signed a fortnight ago from Sunderland, could get a place on the subs' bench after coming through a 90-minute test in the Reserves on Wednesday.