BLACKBURN could well boast two representatives in European competitions after Christmas.

Rovers fans will be hoping Mark Hughes and his charges can safely negotiate tomorrow's Intertoto Cup tie against FK Vetra and enjoy another run in the Uefa Cup.

And Muhammed Matadar is also keeping his fingers crossed for a successful Intertoto Cup match tomorrow, although he'll be keeping a very close eye on FC Utrecht against Swedish side Hammarby.

That's because the Blackburn school teacher is making his European debut in the match - as an assistant referee.

And with the tie evenly balanced at 0-0, the 30-year-old is looking forward to a keen contest. He said: "I was involved in an Under-19 Uefa competition but that was held over here in this country. In terms of an overseas trip, this will be my first one and, hopefully, it'll be the start of more to come. It's always good to represent your country in any environment."

Local football players may remember Matadar as a referee on the local circuit where he first cut his teeth as an official.

And he revealed, what started off as a nice little earner during his early years as a student in Sheffield, has placed him on the brink of European competitions and dreams of the World Cup.

He said: "When I was at university, I took up quite a lot of sports courses and one of them was a referee's course.

"Being a poor student, refereeing was a way of earning some extra income, and it's just grew from there."

His performances in the Football League were recognised by the Premiership panel last season and he was invited along to be linesman at Goodison Park on Boxing Day for the match between Everton and Newcastle.

It was an experience he admitted he would never forget and one which has seen him selected as one of the Premiership officials for the forthcoming season.

He said: "It was fantastic. There was a full house at Everton and a great atmosphere. It would have been easy for them to give me a low profile match as my first one, something that, on paper, wouldn't have been difficult to deal with.

"But this one was in front of 40,000 fans.

"I'd been doing quite well and I got that as a kind of reward with the incentive to do more if I was any good. Anyway, I must have done well because at the end of the season I was promoted to the Premier League."

For the moment though, all his attentions are focused on the Stadion Galgenwaard, and dreams of advancing in Europe.

He added: "This is like a reward for doing well last season. It's like the FA's way of saying I had a good year, I've been promoted, and this is what I could have if I continue to do well.

"European referees and linesmen are all selected in January when the list of officials is reviewed. Hopefully, if I do well in this match, I can be one of them and then I have the chance to official in European club matches, European Championships and World Cups."