BLACKBURN ROVERS defender Colin Hendry was yesterday rated no more than "50-50" by Scotland manager Craig Brown to be fit for Saturday's opening World Cup qualifying match in Austria.

The big defender has been playing with a groin injury for his club and underwent a scan yesterday before joining up with the squad.

"Colin will train with us tomorrow and then I'll be able to be more specific about his chances. But I saw him play in the first league game of the season and he played very well so I hope he'll be able to join us," said Brown yesterday.

Middlesbrough central defender Derek Whyte has joined the squad after recovering from a sciatica attack which forced him to miss the draw with Nottingham Forest last Saturday. Ally McCoist, who is in Newcastle where his father-in-law is ill in hospital, is expected to rejoin the sound today.

Scotland's task may be a difficult one because only the first team in each of the nine European groups will automatically qualify for France plus the best of the runners-up. The other eight second-placed teams will play-off in a two-leg knock-out for the remaining four places.