POWERHOUSE striker Nathan Blake admits his days at Blackburn Rovers are numbered as he bids to fire Wales closer to the World Cup finals tomorrow.

The Newport-born star will pull on the Welsh red jersey for the 19th time, desperate to prove he's back to his best against Poland at the Millennium Stadium (3pm) following a tortuous six months dogged by injury.

But the 29-year-old forward fears his long, drawn-out recovery from an Achilles' operation and two thigh tares, has come too late to save his Ewood Park career as Rovers prepare for life back in the Premiership next season.

Blackburn boss Graeme Souness has been promised cash to go on a spending spree which could see him cull more than half of the current squad which earned promotion from the Nationwide First Division last month. Blake, who has thrown down the gauntlet to Wales manager Mark Hughes to pick him tomorrow so that he can end his country's draw culture, told the Argus: "Around 60 or 70% of the players at Rovers are looking over their shoulders and I'm certainly one of them.

"There's no beating around the bush because Blackburn is a big club with a lot of money to spend on new players.

"There are going to be some changes and I don't know what's going to happen to me to be honest.

"I'm on a contract but that does not make a difference these days. I wasn't supposed to be there last year, so I just don't know."

Blake only made a handful of first-team appearances for Rovers last season after recovering from injuries but then breaking down again with new ones.

He managed 70 minutes of action during Rovers' last outing of the campaign against Gillingham, which has put him in contention to fill Craig Bellamy's boots against the Poles.

The diminutive striker has gone back to Coventry City after a row between club and country over his fitness, which has given Blake the golden chance to put himself in the transfer shop window - although Cardiff City chiefs need not scramble for tickets. The former Ninian Park hero has reiterated that he's not interested in returning, if invited, for at least another four years.

For now, he's far more focused on his job with Wales and believes he was always in contention for a starting spot alongside John Hartson as Wales go all-out for their first win at the Millennium Stadium.

"I've got a real chance because we have drawn four games now and I was only involved in two of those," pointed out Blake whose stunning header earned Wales a point in the 1-1 draw with Norway last October.

"I admit it will be difficult because I haven't played a full 90 minutes since last October, but I'm more than ready to give my all for Wales."

He added: "Drawing is a habit which we have to snap out of. We've gone one or two goals up and then asked ourselves 'What do we do now?'

"That first win is so important and if we look at it logically it has to be Poland because the chances of winning in the Ukraine (Wales' seventh qualifying game of the campaign on Wednesday) is a lot less. We have already gone to Poland and got a result, so we know what to expect."

Meanwhile, Wales chiefs were confident that top striker John Hartson's visa problem would be sorted out today and that he would play in the World Cup qualifier in the Ukraine.

The Coventry striker's application for a visa was turned down by the Ukrainian embassy in London because his passport was too tatty.

The embassy suggested it was too late now to change the situation and that Hartson would not be allowed in.

But the FAW have threatened to get FIFA involved and a Wales spokesman said today, "I don't think there's any doubt it will be sorted out and that he will get the visa today. "Stories to the contrary are sensationalism. It's just a problem with beurocracy and it's being sorted."

* Ticket sales for Wales' qualifier against Poland in Cardiff tomorrow are still going slowly with just 35,000 sold to date instead of the expected 35-40,000 at this stage.