Kenwyne Jones is ready to lead the fight for Sunderland once again after playing down his latest injury scare.

The 24-year-old Trinidad and Tobago striker made a surprise return to the starting line-up in last night’s 2-1 Carling Cup defeat by Blackburn, just a day after being sent to see a specialist.

Manager Roy Keane had ruled him out of the game after he hurt the same knee he injured in a collision with England keeper David James in June at the end of training last Friday.

The Irishman refused to second-guess the medical experts, but there were fears on Wearside that the £6million man could face another spell on the sidelines.

However, having now been given the all-clear, Jones is raring to go.

He said: ‘‘Even when I hurt myself slightly last week, I was sure it would be okay.

‘‘For safety reasons, I went to see the specialist and he confirmed everything is fine.

‘‘I think the management and the medical staff were more worried about it than I was.

‘‘I have had experience with the injury now and I always had faith that what happened in training last week was nothing major.

‘‘Everything worked out and now I’m just concentrating on pushing on.’’ Jones will now set his sights on Saturday’s revenge mission at Ewood Park when the Black Cats will attempt to end a run of four successive defeats, three of them in the Barclays Premier League.

They have won just once in their last eight games in all competitions, and that derby victory over Newcastle on October 25 now seems a long time ago.

Their latest reverse came in depressing fashion after, in a bid to book a first League Cup quarter-final berth in eight years, Keane fielded a strong side in which the selection of teenage midfielder Jordan Henderson was the only concession to the rigours of the league campaign.

The Black Cats enjoyed a promising first 45 minutes, but once again failed to make the most of it and found themselves in deep trouble when substitute Roque Santa Cruz struck within two minutes of his arrival before Phil Bardsley’s own goal made it 2-0.

Jones pulled one back with 19 minutes remaining, but there was to be no escape.

Keane will assess Jones before the Sunderland party heads for the north-west tomorrow, although he knows if he plays him at the weekend, he will have no choice but to let him join up with his national squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Cuba in Port of Spain next week.

Rovers boss Paul Ince admitted after the game that he had been caught out by the strength of Keane’s selection, and Jones’ inclusion in particular.

As a result, he was delighted with his team’s performance, and with Santa Cruz back in harness after a hamstring injury and the likes of Stephen Warnock and Ryan Nelsen having been rested, will hope for more of the same on Saturday.

He said: ‘‘It was a game we wanted to win. We haven’t been winning games - even though we have been playing well, we haven’t been winning games.

‘‘For both parties, it was important psychologically just to get that win under your belt.

‘‘There’s a feelgood factor. My lads are buzzing, and hopefully that will take us through to Saturday.’’