BLACKBURN Rovers have been boosted by the timely return of Matt Kilgallon from injury.

Kilgallon has been restricted to just seven minutes of Championship action this season.

But with Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy walking a disciplinary tightrope his chance may soon arrive.

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Captain Hanley and his centre-back partner Duffy are both just one booking away from a one-match ban.

Each have picked up four yellow cards in the opening 10 games of the league campaign.

That means they will head into a packed programme of six matches in three weeks, which starts at MK Dons next Saturday, with a suspension hanging over their heads.

But the fear of losing Hanley or Duffy has been lessened after Kilgallon shrugged off the hamstring strain he sustained in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Fleetwood Town last month.

The 31-year-old, who impressed as Rovers’ stand-in skipper last season after Hanley was ruled out for two months, was back training at Brockhall this week.

And his manager Gary Bowyer: “It’s good news about Matt Kilgallon. He’s joined back in training so he’s back fit and well.

“That’s great for us because we need his experience and the competition he brings.

“The two centre-halves have been magnificent this season but we know during the course of the season we are going to need Matt.

“It’s great to have the competition because the two centre-halves who have got the shirts at the moment know they can’t rest.

“Matt is breathing down their neck but the way those two have started the season has been really pleasing.”

Hanley and Duffy, both 23, have been two of Rovers’ best performers so far this season.

But Bowyer insists they cannot take their places for granted.

He said: “The level of performances from them have been great and, if you look at their age, they are still young for that position.

“But to have Matt back is fantastic because he adds to the competition and we know that we’ve got someone when called on will be fantastic for us, as he was last season.”

Duffy has been on standby for Republic of Ireland’s final two Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Their stunning 1-0 win over world champions Germany in Dublin on Thursday means they will seal their qualification with victory over Poland in Warsaw tomorrow night.

Hanley and Scotland are out, however, after they could only draw 2-2 with Poland in Glasgow on Thursday.

Gordon Strachan’s side seemed set to take their qualification fight to the last round of matches when they came from behind to lead 2-1 at Hampden Park.

But in injury-time Robert Lewandowski netted his second goal of the game after a free kick deflected off Hanley’s hand and came back off the post.

Had Scotland, who kept Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes on the bench, been able to hold on to the victory, that would have given them a chance of claiming a play-off place with a win in Gibraltar tomorrow night.