FRUSTRATED England striker Kevin Phillips - not even on the substitutes bench in Finland in midweek - has pledged to shoot his way back into the international reckoning.

Last season's Premiership top gun with 30 goals, Phillips knows that the only way he can influence the next England manager is to add to his modest four-goal tally in the interim period, starting in today's home match against Chelsea.

In the corresponding fixture last season Phillips notched up two goals before halftime in a 4-1 rout, easily the Wearsiders' best performance of the season.

So far the little predator has found goals much harder to come by and he is desperate to start the flow again.

Phillips spent nearly two weeks in the England camp without being called into action. He was sub in the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Germany but didn't leave the bench.

He admitted: "I am disappointed and frustrated to have travelled to London and Finland and not had a sniff, but there are centre-forwards in there that have started the season better than me.

"I would like to think I will start with a clean slate when a new England manager is appointed, but I am sure that whoever is brought in will have their own plans and hopefully I will be a part of them.

"All I can do over the next four weeks before the game against Italy is try to play well for Sunderland, score some goals and see what happens."

Phillips revealed that no-one has sat down with him to explain why he wasn't used in the two World Cup qualifying games.

But he added: "I'm frustrated and that's all I want to say.

"I can't have a go at anybody who was in charge. Kevin Keegan gave me my England chance and I was so grateful for that.

"I believe I could do just as well as the other centre-forwards who have been tried over the last six months if I am given a good run in the side.

"A goal would help breed confidence but just to get 90 minutes under my belt would be fantastic.

"Now I have just got to show what I can do over the next four weeks and show I deserve an England chance."

Phillips admits that it will be good to be back in action against today.

"All I seem to have done over the last couple of weeks is train, train and train.

"You couldn't have a bigger game than against Chelsea and I would like to think we could do what we did against them last season.

"But I don't think they will lie down - it will be a difficult game.

"Chelsea have a new manager and players always seem to up their game for a new boss and we will have to be on top of our game to get a result.

"Last season we played our best 45 minutes against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light and the number of chances we created was fantastic.

"But we can't go into the game thinking it will be the same this time - we are not stupid.

"We are getting there. Players have been added to the squad gradually and we are starting to get back to the way we performed at the start of last season.

"The confidence is there, the training has gone great and now we just need a good run of results."

l A limited number of tickets are available for this afternoon's game from the ticket office.

l Bradford winger Peter Beagrie is relieved to see his former team, Manchester City, back where they belong after believing the club were dragged through the mud in his time at Maine Road.

Beagrie spent more than three seasons with City following a £1.1m move from Everton in March 1994, only for injuries to wreck his final two years at the club, leading to a cut-price £50,000 switch to Valley Parade in 1997.

But Beagrie was still able to recognise the signs leading to City's downfall as successive relegations from the Premiership to the Second Division followed after his departure to Bradford.

''My time at Manchester City was mixed because of injuries,'' said Beagrie, who returns to the club today.

''As far as playing for the club was concerned, under Brian Horton and the respect I had from the fans, then that was fantastic.

''I only wish I could have stayed injury free and gone on to help them remain in the Premiership, and I think I could have done that.

''At the time the likes of Uwe Rosler, Niall Quinn and Paul Walsh were at the club. We played with a system where the ball was given to me, I got past people and put the ball into the box, and we scored goals.

''It was good to watch and great fun to play because we had a good set of lads. Unfortunately they then got rid of Brian Horton, which was a very bad decision, and brought in Alan Ball. After that it was just a downward spiral.''

Beagrie is now delighted to see City have put their troubles behind them and added: ''I'm looking forward to going back. They've spent big, but you can't argue with that because they've won back-to-back promotions.'