ROVERS midfielder Craig Hignett will report back for pre-season training on Monday fighting fit as he bids to banish the nightmare of this time 12 months ago.

Hignett was plagued by Achilles tendon trouble immediately after his close-season move from Barnsley and barely kicked a ball in anger for Blackburn in the opening few months of the season.

He recovered to play his part in Rovers' promotion triumph and has taken no chances this time around as he bids to become a key figure in the club's assault on the Premiership.

Hignett said: "I made sure that this year wasn't going to be the same thing.

"I made a conscious effort to get really fit and lose some weight and that's what has happened.

"I haven't had a holiday, so I've been training a lot.

"I've been doing quite a lot, going on 10 mile runs and I think I've shed a stone and I feel very fit for it.

"I struggled desperately last year. I missed four months, I think it was, and without doing a pre-season as well, so I was always playing catch-up.

"I struggled a little bit for my fitness, because I wasn't playing any reserve games either, so this year I'm really looking forward to it.

"I just wanted to give myself the best chance really. It is important we get a good start and the fitter you are the bigger chance you have got of impressing and doing well.

"So hopefully I've done my little bit and I'm looking forward to pre-season now. "

Hignett enjoyed the best part of three seasons in the Premiership with Middlesbrough and is delighted to be back, via spells with Aberdeen and Barnsley. "I never had any doubts that we would get promoted," he said.

"Even early on when I wasn't playing I still believed we would get promoted and it turned out that we did.

"You do miss it. You miss the buzz of the big games and playing against the best players in the country and that is what we've got to look forward to.

"I don't think it has changed much. The quality then was fantastic as I'm sure the quality now will be.

"And in many ways it is easier to play football in the Premier League as well, although you've got to think more quickly.

"If you make one little mistake you can get away with it in the Nationwide League, but in the Premier League you can't."

Competition for places in the Rovers midfield will be fierce following the signing of Alan Mahon and hopefullyTurkish international Tugay Terimoglu from Rangers, pending a successful work permit appeal.

However, Hignett's experience and eye for goal means he will still be a valuable asset and the 31-year-old believes Rovers are equipped to make their mark.

He said: "I think we can handle it all right. I think we've got some fantastic talent in the squad.

"The young players, the Matt Jansens, David Dunns, Damien Duffs -- and even Alan Mahon and Marcus Bent who are still young lads -- are good players and I'm looking forward to them playing in the Premier League and improving because they will. And if that happens we'll have a fantastic squad.

"When you look at clubs like Ipswich, we've got just as good a squad.

"They have got a way of playing and they're very good at it. George Burley has obviously done a fantastic job there but there is no reason why we can"t do an Ipswich or a Charlton.

"It's just going to be a fantastic season and one to look forward to because you get the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool coming and they're fantastic games.

"Every game in the Premiership will be hard but I think we've got the quality in the squad to deal with that and do quite well."