James Beattie is ready to be thrown into the fray at Wimbledon on Saturday after shaking off a dead leg.

The big striker got a bang from Sami Hyypia in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool but vowed: "I will be ready if needed."

He is hoping his extra muscle will be required in attack as Saints prepare to face Egil Olsen's notorious long-ball game at Selhurst Park.

Beattie scored the opening goal in last season's crucial 2-0 win against The Dons in the penultimate game when Saints were backed by 10,000 fans.

The club are again offering subsidised coaches to south London with Travel Club members going free and non-members for just £5.

So far they have sold only around 2,500 tickets but Beattie insists the players will be showing the same fighting spirit they did last season to put themselves within sight of safety.

He said: "We ran out to warm up about 45 minutes before kick-off and the stand was full of our fans. I had never seen anything like it before.

"That went a long way to getting us the result. Knowing so many people were behind us gave everyone a lift. The lads were all saying in the dressing room that they were there for us and we could not let them down.

"I know it won't be the same this time but we should still have a decent turn-out and we will be doing our utmost to win it for them. It will be a very physical contest - the sort I would relish. But it is up to the manager because the 4-5-1 system has worked well in recent weeks."

Latvian trialist Amants Bleidilis has returned home after an impressive showing for the reserves in last night's 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The club got late clearance to play him and he turned on the style to show why Dave Jones is keen to sign him from Skonto Riga.

The Saints boss is initially aiming to get the right-winger on loan until he can afford to make the move permanent.

Jones said: "The Latvian did well but then we already knew what he could do from watching him in games and in training.

"He is quick, has good movement and he's clever - and he scored a goal. He would be a good addition to the squad but that position is not a priority at the moment.

"We don't want to miss out on a good player because of that though so hopefully we can get him on loan until we can generate some cash to buy him.

"He has gone back now because Skonto Riga have a big title decider this weekend against their nearest rivals. Their season ends then so hopefully we can get him back after that."

Kevin Davies scored twice last night in his final action before starting a three-game ban after the club lost their appeal against his red card at Leicester.

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