THE returning Ryan Tunnicliffe reckons tomorrow’s big Championship clash with Watford represents the perfect chance for him and Blackburn Rovers to kick on.

Rovers sit 10th in the standings after a start to the season which has seen them take on six teams tipped to be in the promotion shake-up come May.

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The Hornets are another side with ambitions of finishing in the top six.

But Rovers will go into the Ewood Park encounter buoyed by a six-point haul from last week’s testing triple-header against Fulham, Derby County and Wigan Athletic.

And they know a win over fourth-placed Watford would set them up perfectly for a run of matches against teams expected to finish lower down the table.

On-loan Fulham midfielder Tunnicliffe, who was ineligible to face his parent club last Saturday, said: “If you would have said before the start of the week that we would have got two wins out of three then you would have took it.

“We’re right where we want to be now with these run of games coming up and hopefully we can win a few more.

“If you look at the games we’ve had, we’ve played six or seven teams who people would have said are going to be play-off contenders, so if you look where we are positioned, and who we’ve got to play – not lesser teams but not promotion favourites – then I think we can kick on now and have a really good go at it.”

Not that Tunnicliffe will be underestimating the opponents Rovers will face after Watford.

Despite being just 21 he has enough experience of the Championship to appreciate how unpredictable it can be.

“It’s why for me it’s one of the best leagues in the world because on any given day 24th can beat first,” said Tunnicliffe, who played for Peterborough United, Barnsley and Ipswich Town in the second tier while on loan from his former club Manchester United.

“We’re only a few games in now so I don’t think you can say too much about the league table because anyone can go on a winning run of five or six games and be top of the league – and vice versa, if you lose a few, you’ll be down at the bottom.

“You’ve just got to focus on the game coming up, put that one to bed, and then focus on the one after that.”

Tunnicliffe made a big impression off the bench in last Wednesday’s 3-2 home loss to Derby.

But he was denied his full debut against Fulham on Saturday due to the rules of his season-long loan.

Tunnicliffe said: “Every player who comes on wants to make an impact and try to change the game in any way possible and, against Derby, I felt I did that to some extent.

“I was looking forward to pushing on at the weekend but unfortunately it was the Fulham game.

“On the other hand, though, it’s good that one’s out of the way and now I can try and force my way into the team and stay in the team.”