BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes reckons it's squeaky bum time in the battle to qualify for Europe.

As the race for a top-six finish gathers momentum, Hughes has identified the month of March as the period that will ultimately decide Rovers' destiny.

Starting with tomorrow's home clash against Fulham, Hughes believes the four games between now and the end of the month are all winnable on paper.

And the bullish Rovers chief has told his players it is imperative they take full advantage, because they need to get points in the bag now, before they face Manchester United, Liverpool and Portsmouth in April.

Hughes is adamant Rovers will need to win six - or possibly even seven - of their remaining 10 fixtures to stand any chance of qualifying for a UEFA Cup spot automatically.

That is a tall order by anyone's standards but Hughes is confident his players can still close the gap, with home games against Fulham and Wigan, and away trips to West Ham and Reading, to come over the next three weeks.

"Looking ahead to the rest of this month, and the games that we have coming up, we are aiming for a really good points return," said the Rovers chief.

"If we can get a number of positive results this month then going into April, when the fixtures get a bit more difficult, it could help us to get where we want to go.

"March is crucial for me. We've got to get a decent points tally this month because we've got some difficult games coming up in April.

"Two years ago, we finished sixth with 63 points but it looks as if it might take more than that this time.

"That means we need to win at least six or seven of the 10 games we have left, so it's a big ask but it's not one that we aren't capable of doing."

After back-to-back wins, against Bolton and Newcastle, Rovers must now keep that momentum going against Fulham, who are desperate for points themselves in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Cottagers have only taken four points in the eight games since Roy Hodgson took over from Lawrie Sanchez on December 30, and although Hughes has great respect for the former Blackburn boss and his methods, he admits the Fulham chief faces an almighty fight to preserve the club's Premier League status.

"It's been difficult for him so far," said Hughes.

"He came in mid-season, which is hard, and he's had to make a lot of changes.

"It can take time to have an impact and, given the situation he is in, he probably would have hoped to have got more points on the board by now than he has.

"But it's very difficult to pick up Premier League points, as we all know.

"By all accounts, they are getting the ball down and trying to pass it more than they did do under the previous manager, which is a credit to Roy.

"But at the moment they aren't able to dominate games and get points on the board."

After Fulham's visit to Ewood tomorrow, Rovers then face home games against Wigan, Tottenham, Manchester United and Derby County during the run-in, and Hughes wants to see a big improvement in his side's home form.

He added: "Our home form has let us down this year. Last year it was really strong - it was better than our away form.

"But this year that has been reversed. We need to try to maintain the level of performance we put in against Bolton.

"I thought we played really well that day, and looked strong and forceful, and if we can put in more performances like that from now until the end of the season in our home games then we have a chance.

"I think the away form takes care of itself - we've been excellent away from home all season.

"But we've got to be really strong and purposeful in everything we do at home."