HAT-trick hero Jordan Rhodes admits he is trusting his instincts after insisting he has not thought about the Championship step-up.

Blackburn Rovers’ £8million man took his tally to nine goals in just 14 games with a treble in Saturday’s 4-1 victory at Peterborough – insisting he isn’t doing anything different from his League One days.

The 22-year-old already has nine career hat-tricks to his name but, while dreaming of testing himself in the Premier League, is staying focused on Rovers’ promotion challenge.

Saturday’s win, Henning Berg’s first as boss, has moved Rovers back to sixth in the Championship as Rhodes targets being in the top flight next campaign.

This season has seen Rhodes continue last season’s League One prolifics in the league above and, also scoring twice in midweek, seen his reputation grow again.

Rhodes said: “I haven’t really thought about it too much (playing in the Championship). I have just tried to take it in my stride and go with my instincts as much as possible.

“I still try to make the same runs and apply the same touches as ever. I am working hard on the training field to better my all round play. I am not really doing anything different, I am just trying to improve and trying to better myself.

“I don’t know if I could do it in the Premier League. We will not know that until it is tried and tested. It would be fantastic, it would be a dream one day to play in the Premier League and see myself on Match of the Day, that would be fantastic.

“But we have a job in hand to do this season and come the end of the season hopefully we will be in the top six at least, at best top two.

“There are strikers I look up to all the time and strikers I still watch today, no matter how high the game is, there are still aspects of a game that some strikers have and I don’t that I would like to improve on.

“It is a dream to pull on the Blackburn Rovers shirt. It is very pleasing to come away and score goals.”

Rhodes has had a roller-coaster start to life at Rovers, with turmoil behind the scenes and a change in manager making life tough at the East Lancashire outfit.

Rovers have also struggled to hit top form for most of the campaign but, after Saturday’s most emphatic win of the season, Rhodes is confident there is even more to come.

“In spells that was more like it but there is still room for improvement in every aspect of the game,” he said. “ It is always pleasing when you have come off and scored more goals than the opposition because that means you are doing something right.

“After last week, not getting the results we wanted, coming here live on Sky it was terrific to put on a half decent show, get a few goals and get a win for the manager.

“As footballers you get paid and you love doing what you do. In my opinion there is no better job in the world.

“What happens on the field we can’t affect that, we just have to stick at our job and be as professional as we can be.”