STEPHEN Warnock today insisted making the switch from Liverpool to Blackburn Rovers has proved to be the making of him.

The 25-year-old full-back has been a revelation at Blackburn since he took the bold decision to quit Anfield for Ewood Park during the January transfer window.

And although that move might have cost him the chance of being part of Liverpool's squad for the Champions League final in Athens this week, Warnock's only regret about joining Blackburn is that he did not make it sooner.

The buccaneering defender, who spent almost a decade at Anfield before signing for Blackburn in a bargain £1.5 million deal, said: "It's been a fantastic move for me and I just wish I had done it earlier.

"But that's the beauty of hindsight, isn't it? Things might not have worked out quite as well for me if I'd come here earlier.

"I love it here and I've got people who believe in me, which I didn't have at Liverpool.

"That gives you so much confidence and now every game I go into I feel confident that I'm good enough to be here, and good enough to play, which is something I didn't always feel at Liverpool.

"I knew I was good enough to be there but I didn't have the people behind me with the confidence to let me play and express myself.

Now I do."

Warnock has been a virtual ever present since he arrived at Ewood four months ago, and his dynamic style has quickly seen him become a huge favourite with the Blackburn faithful.

Perhaps even more importantly, he has also given the team an extra dimension going forward, and his form during the closing weeks of the season, when he provided a number of assists from his left-back position, was one of the key factors in Rovers securing another top 10 finish and a place in the Intertoto Cup.

Looking ahead to that, and the possibility of another European campaign, Warnock said: "This club needs to be in Europe every year.

"I think the players need to be challenged, and we know we are good enough to be there."