CRAIG HIGNETT has a good record of scoring against his former clubs and it is a habit he has no intention of kicking ahead of tomorrow's return to the Riverside.

The Rovers star played almost 200 games for Middlesbrough and he confessed: "I have got a decent record when playing my former clubs.

"I went back to Barnsley and scored in the third round of the Cup, I scored against Boro in the Worthington Cup and I have netted a couple against Crewe in the past."

But Hignett admitted that he would happily swap another taste of Cup glory for some much needed points in the fight against relegation.

He is all too painfully aware of the problems that cup runs can have on teams having been in the Boro side that was relegated from the Premier League in the same season they went to two Wembley finals.

"The cups can be a nice distraction, our form in cup competitions has been good but they can get in the way," he said. "When I was at Boro we got relegated because we just had too many games at the end of the season, about seven matches in 14 days. That is the only reason we went down.

"So the worst possible result for us would be a draw, the last thing we need is more games. We have already got the Worthington Cup Final coming up and then we have to get back to business in the league."

What Hignett hopes to see is a situation where the knockout form is carried into Premier League games as he admitted: "Our league form is not very good at all.

"But having said that we should have got more points than we have because our play hasn't been that bad. We have given away some bad goals but we have always looked like scoring."

Hignett believes that his former club, like Rovers involved in the relegation dog-fight, have suffered the reverse situation this campaign.

"They have found goals hard to come by but because they have defended well they have drawn a lot of games," he said. "But everything about Boro is similar to Blackburn and I don't think either club should be down near the bottom of the table.

"Like us they have got a squad that is littered with international players and they have also got some fantastic facilities."

Those facilities include the Riverside Stadium, the replacement for Ayresome park and a ground that was half empty in the last round for their surprise 2-0 defeat of Manchester United.

"That was a political thing to do with the prices they were being charged for tickets," said Hignett. "The fans voted with their feet but I expect it will be different against us because I know how passionate the Boro fans are about their team. I'll be surprised if it is not a full house."

But those fans will share Hignett's view that what matters most is avoiding the drop, never mind a day out in Cardiff.

"We have 12 games left and I am really confident we will get out of trouble," he said. "Ipswich showed what can happen if you put a good run together."

So while no one ever likes to lose, there is no doubt that Hignett would take three points at the Reebok Stadium in a fortnight's time ahead of Cup success against his old team.