Rosler: If we provide spark Cod Army can help fuel an upset at Ewood

Town boss Rosler is hoping a bumper following to make the short trip to Ewood Park for tomorrow’s Lancashire derby and the German believes that if the players can do the business on the pitch their 12th man can help them topple Rovers.

It is the first time the sides will ever meet in the league with former Premier League winners Blackburn tumbling down to the third tier last year.

Rosler’s side are now enjoying their fourth year in League One after their rapid rise from the lower levels of non-league up to the football league and they now sit level on points with seventh-placed Rovers.

Rosler is relishing the clash and says if they play like they did in the second half of the 2-0 win over Oxford on Saturday and inspire the fans they can cause an upset in this rearranged fixture.

He said: “It is great for the football club to play Blackburn Rovers.

“Everybody looks forward to it, for the players, the coaches, the chairman but also the supporters, we know what we have in our supporters and in the end I have always said to the players that it is up to us to light the matches up and then the crowd will take over and gasoline leads to an explosion but we need to initiate that on the pitch by performing like we did in the second half against Oxford.

“The supporters followed us and were very important to us ending the game the way we did against Oxford and taking that confidence now into tonight’s game.”

Rosler says his side are confident given their recent form under the floodlights.

Town have beaten Bury and Bradford and most recently drawn at Scunthorpe in their midweek league fixtures but he stressed a need to up the levels once again.

He said: “We played very good against a good side in Oxford and I think that definitely gives confidence and spreads confidence around.

“But Blackburn Rovers at home at Ewood is another level up, we need to raise our level of performance, for some reason I always think Tuesday evenings do us good.

“Evenings are getting more out of us physically, we always produce higher numbers, the pitch is big, we can play and then we see where that takes us.

“Their crowd in my opinion expect a comfortable win against Fleetwood Town and we are going there to spoil the party.”

Rosler has fond memories of Ewood Park from his own playing days.

The German scored for Manchester City in their 3-2 floodlit win as they delayed Blackburn’s 1994/95 title win by beating Kenny Dalglish’s side.

That April result did not stop Rovers eventually lifting the title though and Rosler wants his men to learn from this clash.

He said: “I don’t think our club has ever played a Premier League champion and last time I was at Ewood as a player with Manchester City we were just denying Alan Shearer and company the championship on a Tuesday evening.

“So I have good memories.

“It is a massive club in the region and we have an opportunity to show what we can do against such a historical club.

we have a very good away record, the result is up to us, not Blackburn and how good we do that will decide the game.

“Going there is a great opportunity to learn, play in a big stadium, to learn and play against a team that is favourite in everybody’s eyes and learn how to handle those occasions.

“I look forward to it because the facts are telling me we do well in those situations.”