BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today called on his players to show more of the fighting qualities which have heralded excellent results against Manchester United and Liverpool as struggling West Ham head for Ewood tomorrow.

Souness is delighted with how his team have performed so far over Christmas after yesterday's 1-1 draw at Anfield took their festive haul to four points from two games.

However, with tough back-to-back home games against the Hammers and Middlesbrough coming up in the next five days, Souness has stressed the need to keep the momentum going into the New Year as Rovers set their sights on a push for the top six.

"In football terms, it's been a great Christmas because we've taken four points from two very difficult games and I had a wonderful day on Wednesday with my three-year-old son," said the Rovers boss.

"But the last two results count for nothing. The real test for us now is to see if we can get up to the same level of determination to win the next two home games.

"The average man in the street will look at the West Ham game and think we can win it but football is not like that, it never has been and it never will be.

"West Ham will prove very difficult opposition and if we are not on our game then we won't beat them.

"So that's the test for the players going into tomorrow's game.

"They have to get themselves up to the same levels again to make sure we win it."

West Ham are currently in serious danger of being relegated for the first time since 1989 and they will head to Ewood with last season's 7-1 drubbing still fresh in the memory.

But Souness has been in the game long enough to know that Rovers can't afford to take anything for granted even after two excellent results against United and Liverpool.

Andy Cole was the hero at Anfield after his wonderful second half volley secured a well-deserved point and, had Rovers enjoyed a touch more luck in front of goal, they might even have returned with all three.

"It was a bit like the Manchester United game in many respects," said Souness.

"I felt we showed them too much respect for 20 minutes or so but we then got into it and in the second half I felt we bossed it.

"At 1-0, Liverpool appeared to be a little bit nervous given recent results and I felt that, if we got a goal back, we could go on and win it.

"But to go there and take something is, obviously, very satisfying."

The last two results have done much to boost confidence in the dressing room and Souness puts the sudden turnaround down to a new defensive steel in the side.

"I think we've shown a bit more resilience in the last couple of games," added the Rovers boss.

"Going forward we are a good team but defensively this year we've let ourselves down on too many occasions and that's why we are where we are in the league.

"But I feel we should have a lot more points on the board so if we can defend between now and May then we might end up with a few more points than we got last year."

David Dunn could be fit to return against the Hammers tomorrow after his calf injury has responded well to treatment.

But Lucas Neill will sit out the game through suspension after Rovers have failed in their bid to get his sending off against Everton overturned.

Souness will choose from: Friedel, Curtis, Johansson, Short, Taylor, Flitcroft, Tugay, Thompson, Duff, Cole, Yorke, Ostenstad, Dunn, Gillespie, Todd, Danns, Grabbi, Jansen, Kelly.