THE run-in to the Premiership season promises to be an exciting period for Rovers' followers, so perhaps now is an opportune time to lay down a challenge.

Back-to-back victories over Southampton and Chelsea have put us in a position of safety - a truly wonderful feeling with a quarter of the fixtures still to be played.

Now, and here is the challenge, wouldn't it be fantastic if we could pack Ewood Park to the rafters for our final five home matches?

Since we won promotion back to the Premiership, we have worked hard, on and off the pitch, to re-establish the club in the top flight.

I believe we have made excellent progress in many areas, but one of our primary concerns remains our level of support.

Not for the first time, our loyal fans have done us proud again this season - thanks to all concerned for wonderful backing both at Ewood and on our travels - and we have managed an average home attendance just short of 25,500.

That is a super effort when viewed as a percentage of our catchment area, but it still stands us among the very lowest in the Premiership where many clubs are now attracting average gates of 40,000-plus.

I accept that our population isn't big enough, but the statistical evidence does suggest that we still have scope to attract more and more people and keep nudging our home gates towards the magical 30,000.

For example, the home areas were much busier than average when we played the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle, not forgetting Celtic in the UEFA Cup.

Somehow we have got to find a way of achieving that for every major fixture here.

As we strive to push on towards the higher reaches, income through the turnstiles remains a vital aspect and to that end we will continue to do all we can to grow our fan base.

Price-motivated initiatives do work, for evidence you only have to look at the 1,000 or so extra youngsters we attracted against Southampton through the Kid a Quid scheme. Encouraging new young Rovers fans through such schemes is, of course, key to our future.

But offering discounts is only part of it - the easy part if you like - for we don't just need extra supporters for the obvious benefit of generating a better atmosphere, we need them for the crucial factor of generating extra revenue.

Believe me, to be competitive at Premiership level requires hard cash - and plenty of it. You can, of course, achieve this objective through player sales, but transferring our star players is not a favoured option.

So, there you have it. For all sorts of reasons, with the long-term success and stability of the club on the top line of the priority list, we need more supporters.

For those who already attend every home game, can I say a sincere thank-you. There is little else you can do except, perhaps, inviting a pal or two to join you!

No, this message - call it a plea if you prefer - goes out to those who come less frequently or who haven't yet been at all.

Come on, give it a go against City on Saturday, or against Arsenal, Charlton, Bolton or West Brom - all five would be better still - as we look the end the season on a real high.