Hitman Lambert plans to have United on the run
Last updated 12:07, Thursday, 07 August 2008
BRISTOL Rovers striker Rickie Lambert is planning to get off to a goalscoring start when the Pirates welcome Carlisle to the Memorial Ground on Saturday.
The Rovers number nine warned John Ward’s men that he is in excellent shape ahead of first game of the season.
“I don’t want to tempt fate but I’m feeling really good,” said Lambert, who fired 19 goals last season.
“Last season I was on fire in the friendlies, but then I didn’t have the best of starts in the league.”
Paul Trollope’s men have been in deadly form during pre-season with four straight wins, and former Rochdale ace Lambert – who had been linked with a summer move away from the West Country – believes he can form a prolific goalscoring partnership with new signing Daryl Duffy.
“I think we can still get to know each other a fair bit more, but already I can tell that he is an intelligent player who can finish well,” he said of the former Swansea poacher.
While Danny Livesey and the Blues defence will undoubtedly be tested by Lambert’s pace and creativity, Rovers’ own rearguard is depleted with the absence of Danny Coles, who suffered ligament damage in their pre-season friendly with Dutch side ADO Den Haag.
Left-back Joe Jacobson is also out with a nee injury while right-back Ryan Green is also a slight doubt after pulling up with a tight hamstring against the Dutch outfit. David Pipe and Aaron Lescott should deputise.
But Trollope suggested that Steve Elliott should be back from a hamstring problem to feature in Saturday’s game.
“The theme over the last few years has been injury prevention and up until about a week ago it was looking like that was going well for us again. We’ve been a bit unfortunate, but you have to take that and move on,” the manager added.
Probable starting XI: Phillips, Pipe, Anthony, Elliott, Lescott, Lines, Campbell, Disley, Hughes, Lambert, Duffy.
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