BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer has urged his side to reward the Ewood Park faithful with the first of three home victories today.

Rovers host Nottingham Forest this afternoon (3pm) before entertaining Millwall on Tuesday and Ipswich Town on the final day of the season.

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They will go into that triple header having won just one of their last six matches in front of their own supporters.

That is in stark contrast to their form away from home with their last defeat on the road coming nine games ago.

“We’ve always tried to make Ewood Park a very difficult place to come, teams always know they’re going to be in for a game, but of recent, in the Brentford game and the Brighton game, we’ve not been ruthless enough,” said Bowyer.

“The support that we’ve had has been very, very good and we want to finish as strong as we possibly can, especially in front of our supporters.”

Standing in Rovers’ way today is a Forest team who, although they sit just one point and one place further down the Championship table in 10th, have failed to win any of their last five league matches.

The City Ground outfit had won seven of new manager Dougie Freedman’s first 10 games in charge.

And Bowyer, who watched 10-man Forest’s 3-1 home loss to Watford on Wednesday, believes the team he supported as a boy cannot be underestimated.

“I watched them on Wednesday and the Watford goalkeeper pulled off four or five very good stops in the first half alone,” he said.

“So we’re aware of the fact that they have players in the team who can shoot from distance and we’re going to have to be ready for that and get up to the ball quickly.

“They have also brought a lot of pace in recently, with the loan signings of (Chuba) Akpom and (Modou) Barrow, and we’re going to have to match that physically.

“So it’s going to be a tough game and I certainly don’t buy into it being an end-of-season game. I’m sure Dougie doesn’t either as we’re both trying to finish as high as we possibly can.

“Dougie has gone in there and he did ever so well at the start and put a hell of a run of results together and they’ll be looking to finish strongly too.”

Rovers, meanwhile, are up for a prize at tomorrow’s Football League Awards in London.

The club’s Community Trust has already been named the best in the North West and will now go up against Yorkshire & North East winners Doncaster Rovers, Midlands winners Derby County, East winners Norwich City, and South winners Brighton & Hove Albion for the prize of Johnstone’s Paint Community Club of the Year at the gala ceremony at The Brewery.