PAUL Ince once stared into the Football League abyss at Macclesfield Town until an unlikely cup win dramatically transformed the Silkmen’s fortunes.

And now the under-fire Rovers manager is hoping for something similar ahead of tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final showdown at Manchester United.

A surprise victory over Sir Alex Ferguson’s men won’t change Blackburn’s miserable position in the bottom three of the Premier League.

However, Ince knows from experience that it can be the catalyst required to lift the gloom surrounding Ewood Park.

It was midway through the 2006/07 campaign - as Macclesfield boss - that Ince took charge of a Town side firmly rooted to the foot of League Two and seemingly doomed to relegation.

But the crisis at Moss Rose was immediately diverted after a surprise FA Cup First Round victory over Walsall - who were then League Two leaders.

From that point, Ince’s Macclesfield charges ran up a nine-game unbeaten streak that eventually paved their way to Football League safety.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to go to Old Trafford, get a win and kick-start our season,” said the Rovers manager.

“We had a situation at Macclesfield when we were bottom of the table. We beat Walsall 1-0 and it just lifted everybody. We went on a nine-game unbeaten run and that took us through to the end of the season.

“If we can go to United and get something, that can help us go on a bit of a run.

“We’ve got a great chance of getting into the semi-finals. It’s a route into Europe and, more so, it’s the lift it will give us with a win.

“For the players, I would rather it be a Premier League game than a cup game, because getting league points is more important at the moment.

“But we feel we are close to turning things around.

“It’s absolutely killing us and hurting the lads that we’re not picking up results, because I know how well they are playing.

“At the end of the day, if we were playing poorly and getting battered all over the place, then that would be a massive, massive worry.

“But in almost every game we’ve played, there’s just been one goal in it.

“We are not being hammered by teams and that gives us the hope that we will quickly turn this around. It’s now down to us - as players and manager at the club - to do that.”

A nine-game league streak without a win has seen Ince come under increasing pressure in the Ewood Park hot-seat.

But the former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder insists he needs time to build his own squad, highlighting the significance of Sir Alex Ferguson’s rise to success at United despite famously being close to the sack in 1990.

Ferguson survived after winning the FA Cup that year - Ince’s first at Old Trafford - and went on to become Britain’s most successful manager in history.

“You go back to 1990 and he was probably 20 minutes away from the sack until Mark Robins scored that winner against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup,” said Ince.

”It would have been easy to sack him if they had lost, but look at him now. He is the greatest manager we’ve ever had.

”Everybody clamours for a British manager these days, but we all need time.

”I think I saw something from Sparky (Mark Hughes) saying he needs time (at Manchester City). You do need time to build things.

”That’s what annoys me because people do try to tear up clubs and young managers so early in their careers, but you can’t have it both ways.”

While Ferguson is expected to field a weakened United line-up tonight, Ince may be tempted to select his best available team.

However, a bout of illness has struck the Rovers camp in recent days, with Chris Samba and Ryan Nelsen doubts, while Keith Andrews and Danny Simpson are ineligible.

Ince said: “You know with Sir Alex that he won't have his full side out there, but it will be a side good enough to compete in the Premier League week in, week out.

“They will have enough quality, but we’ve got to go there and face the situation.

“We’ve been playing well away from home at the moment - we don’t seem to feel as much pressure than we do when playing at home.”