Mark Hughes hails another great year for Blackburn Rovers

11:22am Thursday 8th May 2008

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By Andy Neild »

UPBEAT Blackburn manager Mark Hughes insists Rovers have had another outstanding season - whether they end up in Europe or not.

With just one game of the campaign remaining, against Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Sunday, it is still possible for Rovers to claim a top-six finish in the Premier League and a place in the Intertoto Cup.

A win for Rovers in the Midlands, coupled with a draw or a defeat for Aston Villa at West Ham, would leave the way clear for Hughes' players to qualify for the UEFA Cup through the back door.

But even if Rovers were to fall short in their mission, Hughes feels his players can be proud of their efforts, having never been out of the top half of the table at any stage during the last nine months.

Looking ahead to Sunday's nailbiting finale, the Welshman said: "We just have to deal with what we can deal with, and make sure we do our part of things.

"We've got one game to go, there's three points up for grabs, and who knows what will happen on the last day of the season?

"There are always twists and turns and we may pinch a place (in Europe).

"But irrespective of what happens on Sunday, we've still had an outstanding season; we've never been out of the top 10 all year, which is unbelievable really.

"We have had little blips now and again, but we've regrouped and come again.

"Now we face one more game, with something still riding on it, so I think that shows us great credit."

Rovers appeared to be long-shots for the Intertoto place just a couple of weeks ago, as they trailed Villa by six points with only three games of the season remaining.

However, back-to-back victories over Portsmouth and Derby have since revived Rovers' chances, ensuring the race for Europe will go to the wire this weekend.

And just to add to the intrigue, the outcome of Sunday's showdown at St Andrew's is also of massive importance to Birmingham, with Alex McLeish's side needing at least a point to stand any chance of avoiding an instant return to the Championship.

Hughes said: "It's a huge game for both teams now, and I'm sure there will be a lot of interest in it.

"Once again we've just crept up outside the radar and we are still involved, and we'll play a big part in the future of not only ourselves but another club as well."

Meanwhile, Hughes is also hoping West Ham can do Rovers a favour by beating Villa at Upton Park.

The Hammers, who have nothing left to play for other than pride, were well beaten by Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, but Hughes hopes that crushing defeat will provoke a reaction.

He added: "They will be disappointed, I'm sure, with their showing at Old Trafford.

"This is also their last home game so they will have to put in a performance in front of their demanding public.

"Maybe that will focus their minds and they are very capable of getting a result against Villa, so we'll wait and see."