LEEDS United pair Danny Pugh and Sean Gregan must tread warily at Preston tomorrow.

Both are just one booking away from suspension and with such a thin squad, manager Kevin Blackwell can ill afford to be without two of his more senior players.

One of Gregan's bookings came in the 1-0 victory over his former club Preston at Elland Road on October 16 - United's only win in their last nine games.

That match saw David Healy in a Preston shirt - just days before he joined Leeds.

Now, like Gregan, he faces a return to Deepdale.

It's a bizarre situation for the Northern Ireland international striker who aims to help Leeds record their first league double of the season.

Healy was surprisingly selected in the Preston side at Elland Road while negotiations were continuing for his transfer. And Leeds have confirmed there is no clause in the deal preventing him from playing against his old club tomorrow.

"It will seem strange going back there so soon, especially as I owe such a lot to Preston for taking a gamble by paying a lot of money for me when I went there from Manchester United," he said.

"I have a lot of friends at Preston but I'm a Leeds player now and we badly

need a win."

Healy has failed to score in his two matches for Leeds but he has looked sharp and Blackwell is convinced it is only a matter of time before the goals start to flow - if he gets the right service.

Lack of creativity in midfield has been a major failing at Leeds for some time and Blackwell says: "We must try to improve that side of our game and give the right support to our strikers. It's not easy when you have a wafer-thin squad like ours, but the players are capable of doing much better than they showed against Burnley on Wednesday night. It was garbage, total rubbish.

"David Healy is a quality player who will score goals, but like all strikers he needs the right service."

In an effort to improve the supply line Blackwell has signed Sunderland's Welsh international winger John Oster, 25, on a month's loan.

The former Grimsby and Everton player will go straight into the side tomorrow - the first of six games during his stay at Elland Road.

Leeds have scored just four goals from their last nine matches and haven't won away from home since a 1-0 success at Plymouth in mid-September.

Updated: 10:22 Friday, November 05, 2004