BATTLE-SCARRED Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle will willingly pick up a few more wounds if it means he scares the living daylights out of defenders.

Kyle ended an agonisingly long wait for his first Sunderland League goal in Saturday's 2-1 home win over Crystal Palace, and dropped a hint to Scotland boss Berti Vogts.

The strapping 22-year-old from Stranraer, once an Irish Sea Ferries baggage handler, is ready to carry the fight to the opposition as fourth-placed Sunderland mount a promotion push.

Palace midfielder Shaun Derry, whose handball offence gave Marcus Stewart the chance to snatch a last-gasp victory from the penalty spot, also made the mistake of crossing Kyle at the Stadium of Light.

"I tackled him and got booked and he came back and started stamping on my toes when the referee wasn't looking,'' said Kyle.

"I said: 'You can stand on my toes all day, but you're not going to win this ball'. I was just winding him up. I'm 6ft 4 and I enjoy getting stuck in - I've got the scars on my face to prove it.

"If I came off every game with a scar on my face, that wouldn't bother me as long as I play well and intimidate defenders. I know that the next time we play them, they'll think: 'We've got to face that big Kevin Kyle again.' If that's the case, I'm happy.''

Scottish international Kyle insists club comes before country. He said: "When we went out to Germany last week, he (Vogts) grabbed me by the shoulder and said: 'I keep reading that you're playing well but not scoring.' I said: 'Come and watch me and you might pick me on my performances and not goals.'

"I've scored here, so maybe I'll now get picked for the next four or five games, but I'm not too bothered.

"I've been waiting for that goal for so long, and with it being at home, it's extra special.

"I've scored for the reserves and in the League Cup, but I've never done it in a League game. It's a big weight off my shoulders.''

Kyle, forging a promising partnership with Stewart, said: "The more we play together, the better the understanding. It's not telepathic, but he knows where I am and I know where he is.

"I moaned at the referee the whole game but I said at the end: 'Well done.' He was right to give a penalty.

"Marcus was brave enough to take it; he said that six months ago he probably woudn't have done. Everyone here is saying the luck is back on our side.

"It's great having someone like Marcus alongside me because he has experience and talks all the time. I said to him in this game: 'It's not going right for me,' and he said: 'Just keep plugging away and something will happen,' - and it did.

"He's scored four in four now and, if I can do my little bit, there's no reason why we shouldn't be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.''

Kyle is indebted to Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy. "The manager has shown a lot of faith in me,'' he said. "Peter Reid said nice things about me. He said I would get better as I got older and that seems to be happening. Howard Wilkinson liked me as well and offered me a new contract to keep me here.

"But Mick McCarthy is the one who has come in and given me the No 9 jersey. When you have a manager who believes in you, it's half the battle.''

* Jason McAteer (hamstring) and Darren Williams (ankle) face a further stretch on the sidelines and Stephen Wright (calf) is out for at least another week.

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