Campell will get a chance - Bruce.

Byline: Mark Douglas 

STEVE Bruce has promised Sunderland young gun Fraizer Campbell that his time will come this season.

Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones have sewn up the Black Cats' two striking roles after their goalscoring exploits in recent weeks, but Bruce is adamant that he has not forgotten about his pounds 3.5million summer signing.

Campbell has started more games than Bruce thought he would have done at this stage of the campaign and the Sunderland boss believes that the forward is progressing ahead of schedule.

Indeed, he is so close to the first team that Bruce is contemplating switching to three up front to accommodate Campbell.

"Fraizer's done very, very well indeed and has played particularly well in a couple of games," Bruce said. "I haven't really had a partnership as such, however in the last two games both scored, which highlighted that.

"Fraizer's got a big part to play in the season, I'm convinced of that, because there will come a time when there might need freshening up or they might need a month off. Hopefully with Fraizer we've got that option as well.

"It's even a possibility that we might go three up front. I've always got that in mind too that he can play on the right-hand side and he can get you goals."

Campbell's tireless work in training and in his sprinkling of starts certainly appears to have spurred Jones and Bent onto new heights.

With 12 goals between them this season they are officially the Premier League's hottest partnership but Bruce has warned them that they can not afford to let their high standards slip with the former England under-21 snapping at their heels. And even if he is not starting, the Sunderland chief sees him as a compelling and dangerous option from the bench. His contribution at Old Trafford proved his worth as a substitute - frightening the tired legs of his former team-mates with his pace and energy.

"I always knew he was young, he's got a lot of maturing and a lot of growing to do but he'll be a big player for this football club, I'm convinced of that," Bruce said. "At his age, you've got to try and protect him a little bit but he's been involved in every game we've played and he's had a big impact even if he hasn't scored the goals . "He's given the team an injection because he's a little different, he's lively." Bruce also has words of encouragement for winger Steed Malbranque - who he reckons was "courageous and magnificent" at Old Trafford. Along with Craig Gordon, Kieran Richardson and Jones, the French midfielder is one of the few regulars from last season who has retained his place in Bruce's revamped Sunderland side. But despite his decent form, Malbranque has been substituted in nearly every game this season. The Sunderland manager has dismissed any concerns about his fitness, saying the winger plays the game at an intensive level.

"I think he fatigues himself that quickly because he does a lot of intensive running. He's not one of these who just saves himself for the end. I think it's mainly mindset more than anything. "He ran himself to a standstill at Old Trafford. I think he had cramp in both legs. If you can do it at Old Trafford (last for 90 minutes), you can do it anywhere. "I thought he set the tone for us at Old Trafford. He took the ball and kept it, and showed a lot of courage with the ball. I thought his performance was magnificent." Meanwhile, former Black Cats stopper Darren Ward has joined Championship side Peterborough United as goalkeeping coach. The 35-year-old retired from playing after being released by Sunderland in the summer.

BLACKBURN winger Morten Gamst Pedersen believes this weekend's derby with Burnley is a bigger match for the club than facing Manchester United. Although the east Lancashire rivals have played each other as recently as 2005 they have not met in the top flight of English football since 1965. And Pedersen said: "It is the biggest game for the club. It is bigger to play Burnley in a local derby than to play Manchester United if you look at history.