BLACKBURN Rovers want to make it payback time tonight as they bid to capitalise on their pivotal game in hand against FA Cup conquerors Millwall.

Rovers travel to the Den knowing that victory would move them to 15th in the Championship table, five points clear of the relegation zone with only two games left to play.

They face Millwall just a month after the Lions denied them a place at Wembley in the FA Cup, winning 1-0 in a sixth round replay at Ewood Park.

Rovers are determined to make amends tonight.

“There’s a lot of disappointment from the players not going to Wembley and we’ve got to use that as motivation,” said caretaker boss Gary Bowyer.

Grant Hanley is expected to regain his place in defence on his return from a two-match ban and remembers the cup defeat.

“It was a quarter final so it was hard to take,” he said.

“It was difficult, it’s not very often you get the chance to play at Wembley. It was gutting.

“I think we can use that as motivation, but this is a league game and we’ve got to look for the three points.

“It’s a game in hand so we’ve got to try to make that count.”

Rovers will be without Leon Best tonight and for the rest of the season after deciding not to appeal against the striker’s red card on Saturday.

The club were assessing video replays of the incident with Watford’s Marco Cassetti but decided there was insufficient evidence to justify an appeal.

Colin Kazim-Richards is back from suspension and could replace Best in the line-up tonight.

Meanwhile, boss Bowyer admits it would be no surprise if Rovers’ relegation battle went to the final day of the season at Birmingham on May 4 but knows a result at Millwall tonight will help that cause.

“It wouldn’t harm us to get a win, would it?” he said.

“We can only control ourselves. If it goes to the wire then it goes to the wire, and we’ll be prepared for that.

“We’ve said all along it might go to the last game but we knew that we had a game in hand and knew that goal difference would come into it.

“We’ve just got to try to take something from this game.”