STAR STRIKER Kevin Phillips faces a battle against the clock to make the Sunderland starting line-up in the opening game of the new Premiership season against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light next Saturday.

The lethal finisher, whose 30 top-flight goals won him the Premiership Golden Boot and European Golden Slipper awards, has missed the Wearsiders' pre-season friendly matches after waking up with a mystery knee injury.

Sunderland manager Peter Reid was hoping to be able to fly Phillips over for the third and final match of the club's tour of Holland against Heerenveen tonight.

But he was told by the club's physiotherapist that Phillips' knee is still causing problems and the 27-year-old was not yet ready to make a competitive comeback.

Phillips, who was sent home from the first part of Sunderland's pre-season Continental programme, has been receiving intensive treatment on the troublesome knee.

The injury is not thought to have happened in training and remains a mystery.

Phillips said: "I just went to bed after a day's training and woke up with an injured knee. The physios don't know if I've twisted it in my sleep or if it's just taken a while to swell up after doing something in training."

Phillips is still confident he will be fit in time to face Arsenal, the team he supported as a boy, but would have liked to have had a competitive game under his belt before resuming his Premiership goals quest. Reid received the same thumbs down about winger Nicky Summerbee, who is recovering from a groin strain, while Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn continues to have treatment on an ankle injury.

Sunderland, who lost their opening friendly in Holland 3-2 against Fortuna Sittard on Tuesday night, thrashed the non-league amateur side Apeldoomse Boys 9-0 on Thursday, with young Irish striker Michael Reddy hitting a 14-minute second half hat-trick after coming on as substitute for French trialist Cedric Bardon, who again impressed Reid in his bid to win a transfer from Rennes.

Tonight's game against European Champions league qualifiers Heerenveen will be a much sterner test for Sunderland, however, and Reid is expected to field his strongest available side.

l Tottenham supporters have leapt to the defence of skipper Sol Campbell after his attitude was criticised by George Graham.

And they have warned the Spurs boss that he will face an angry backlash following his decision to sell their hero David Ginola.

Graham has said that he believes Campbell will leave the club on a free transfer, under the Bosman ruling, when his contract runs out next summer. Graham also accused Campbell of being ''misleading'' by saying that he wants to see the ambition of the club and insisted he had not come to White Hart Lane ''just to wallow in mid-table''.