21.   Boro will be without skipper Alan Kernaghan, who starts a two-match ban, and Blackburn will miss two key players.

22.   While Sunderland struggle to get key players fit for the vital relegation run-in, there was good news yesterday concerning tough defender Kevin Ball.

23.   Key players, club chairman Paddy Corcoran and team manager Trevor Hawkins met the mayor.

24.   A wall of silence has now descended over the key players.

25.   The return of several key players from illness and suspension will be crucial in avoiding a Tennents Scottish Cup upset at Clydebank tomorrow.

26.   Kaiserslautern also have problems, arriving in Sheffield yesterday with three key players injured - midfielder Martin Wagner, goalkeeper Gerald Ehrmann and defender Wolfgang Funkel.

27.   But without several key players they had little chance against winners Leicestershire.

28.   Along the way, he met with many key players in Africa, including activists from the human rights and democracy movements as well as heads of states.

29.   Alou has realistic expectations of being the key player on a World Series championship team for the second year in a row.

30.   Also, the Bills have been able to survive injuries to several key players throughout the season by getting high-level performances from backups.