MARIAN PAHARS returned to action with a goal last night - but lasted only 45 minutes of his latest comeback before suffering another injury.

The seemingly-jinxed Latvian international striker was on target for Saints Reserves in their 3-1 home win over Derby at Staplewood.

It was his first match for the reserves since aggravating an ankle injury in December.

But Pahars failed to re-appear for the second half after picking up a back injury while falling over a defender, and was replaced by David McGoldrick.

Saints boss Harry Redknapp recently spoke of his desire to get Pahars, pictured above, back playing in the Premiership before the end of this season.

But that aim now looks unlikely.

Pahars had been due to make his comeback on March 29 but the reserve game against Chelsea at Aldershot Town was postponed late on due to a waterlogged pitch.

Subsequent reserve games were postponed due to Saints' FA Youth Cup commitments.

Pahars, once Saints' most lethal striker in the Premiership, has only started 11 Premiership matches since the beginning of the 2002/03 campaign. He has also made 12 sub appearances.

Amazingly, he has only completed 90 minutes twice for the first team in that time - both times in goalless draws against Charlton in September 2002 and Fulham in February 2004 respectively.

Pahars' last Premiership appearance for Saints was under Paul Sturrock when he scored in the 2-1 home loss to Bolton on April 24 last year.

Four days later he came on as a second half substitute for Latvia against Iceland in a friendly, but lasted only 13 minutes before picking up another ankle injury.

Though that finished his Saints season, he had recovered to figure in Latvia's three European Championship finals game - playing all three as a second half sub.

He was fit enough to go on Saints' pre-season tour of Sweden and scored in one of the friendlies in Scandinavia.

But on his return to England he hobbled off in the first half of a friendly win at Swindon with another ankle injury - and since then has managed less than an hour in two reserve games in December against Leicester and Fulham.

Leon Best headed Saints into a seventh minute lead last night from a Fabrice Fernandes cross.

But Derby levelled four minutes later through Giles Barnes' fiercely-struck free-kick after Chris Baird had fouled Lee Holmes.

Another Best 'goal', a header from a Pahars cross, was ruled out for offside shortly after.

Pahars restored Saints' lead seven minutes before half-time after a good run and cross from Yoann Folly.

It was his first strike on English soil since netting at home to Bolton a year and a day previously.

McGoldrick completed the scoring in the second half for a Saints side who also included Mikael Nilsson, Jelle Van Damme, Calum Davenport and Martin Cranie in addition to Best, Fernandes and Folly of players who have appeared for the first team this season.