LEON BEST is set to follow in illustrious footsteps tomorrow when he becomes the youngest striker since Alan Shearer to start a league match for Saints.

Best only turned 18 on the day he came on as a sub for the first time against Newcastle last month.

But he is set to be thrust into the limelight when Saints face Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow in the midst of an injury crisis.

Few will forget Shearer's full Saints debut when aged 17 years and 240 days he became the youngest ever player to score a top-flight hat-trick, against Arsenal at The Dell in April 1988.

Best will be handed his chance as head coach Steve Wigley is definitely without James Beattie, Peter Crouch, Marian Pahars and Brett Ormerod while Kevin Phillips is also struggling with a calf strain.

Wigley said: "You've got to be positive. We've got some good young players at the club and you never know until you play them .

"Look at this football club 10-12 years ago and there was a lot of young players that were given opportunities that went on to have very good careers.

"You'd like to bring young players in when you're having a better run of results, but you've got to take an opportunity when it comes at this level and hopefully whoever's given the chance will take it.

"You'd always want to be able to pick from your full compliment but you have to give people a chance.

"I've never been worried about young players, I've never felt they'd ever let you down and they'd always give you a good performance."

As well as the strikers, also out of tomorrow's game are Matt Oakley, Michael Svensson, Jason Dodd, Yoann Folly and Paul Smith.

In addition, Neil McCann, Graeme Le Saux, Leandre Griffit, Jelle van Damme, Dexter Blackstock and Chris Baird are also doubts.

"We have quite an extensive injury list which has been well documented," said Wigley. "The good thing about having the break is that another week has passed and you can knock off another week until James Beattie and Peter Crouch are back.

"But really all I'm concerned with is the players that are fit and able to play tomorrow.

"I hope I'm not cursed but injuries happen at all clubs - unfortunately we have a catalogue of them at the minute.

"You look at everything we've done and apart from Kevin's calf strain every other one's been a trauma injury that's happened in a game.

"There's nothing you can do about them. If we'd had a run of injuries that were calves or groins then we'd have to look at the training but it's just misfortune at the moment.

"The back end of last season was very much the same. When we went to Charlton we had virtually a whole team in the treatment room and we're like that at the minute, but somebody's misfortune is somebody else's opportunity."

Wigley added: "Brett went out on loan to get some games when we had three frontline strikers and Marian coming back from injury and I don't think anybody could possibly believe what would happen.

"To lose Peter and James in the same game was a big blow."

If Phillips is ruled out, Anders Svensson could be switched to a more forward position - an experiment which was tried several times under Gordon Strachan.