Fire strike won't affect Rovers-Celtic clash

Blackburn insist the UEFA Cup second round, second leg tie against Celtic will go ahead as planned at Ewood Park despite the two-day strike called by Britain's Fire Brigade Union.

Rovers have contingency plans in place which have been approved by Lancashire police and local authorities.

Rovers stadium safety manager John Newsham said: "We have contingency plans in place for the strike action.

"We will revert back to stewards doing the fire cover rather than the fire officers.

"All the stewards have been trained in putting fires out anyway.

"There are certain other options we can look at like banning leaflet distribution and reducing the risk in certain areas such as kitchen areas.

"We have discussed this with local authorities, certified authorities - who issue our safety certificate - and the police.

"A fire strike should not prevent a football match from going ahead."