Football: Carsley set for move to Ewood

BLACKBURN HAVE agreed a pounds 3.3m fee with Derby for their midfielder, Lee Carsley, and hope the a deal will go through over the weekend.

Blackburn's secretary, Tom Finn, said talks with Carsley were planned for over the weekend. The Republic of Ireland international could sign for Rovers early next week.

Nottingham Forest are expected to complete the signing of Bernard Allou, a French midfielder, this weekend. The 23-year-old former Paris St-Germain player has just returned to Europe after two years with Grampus Eight in Japan and is now a free agent. He impressed in a trial at the City Ground earlier this week.

A one-to-one chat with Don Hutchison has persuaded Martin Keown to help him avoid a five-week ban. A private telephone chat with Keown has convinced the 27-year-old Hutchison to go ahead with an appeal against a three-match ban following his clash with the Arsenal defender last weekend.

After facing Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow, Hutchison is scheduled to serve a three-match ban that will rule him out until 24 April. In fact, the only senior football that Hutchison will be allowed to play in that 35-day spell will be for Scotland in the European Championship double-header with the Czech Republic and Bosnia later this month, having won his first call-up to Craig Brown's squad.

Hutchison is facing the ban following his dismissal last week by Uriah Rennie for alleged dangerous use of the elbow against Keown. The Arsenal man had intimated at the time that he would be prepared to speak up for Hutchison in any appeal, but it was only after a telephone call from Hutchison to Keown on Thursday that he agreed to send a letter of support to the Football Association.

Everton failed to find any TV evidence, despite the presence of six cameras at the ground, to provide support for Hutchison, but now Keown has agreed to help an appeal will be launched.

Hutchison said: "I was a little worried that my sending off might effect my chances of an international call-up, but it's worked out OK in the end. I just hope I can convince people that what happened last weekend was an accident."