WHAT a fantastic Christmas present! A rare win against Manchester United, ninth position in the table, and enough points between us and the bottom three to give us that bit of breathing space over the festive period.

We've waited a long time to get one over Fergie and his merry men and I don't think we've come down yet after Sunday's result.

Over the last few years, we've pushed them close on a number of occasions but when we've tried to finish the job off, lady luck always seems to have deserted us at the vital moment.

On Sunday, however, it felt like all our Christmases had been rolled into one as Flitty's goal helped to secure a richly-deserved 1-0 win.

Unfortunately, I had to come off after my injury jinx struck again but I thought the lads were absolutely magnificent in the second half in keeping Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Co at bay.

And, in the end, United were lucky to escape with just a 1-0 defeat because, had we taken any one of a number of late chances, the scoreline could have been even more emphatic.

I just hope we can keep that momentum going over the rest of the Christmas period now.

Today's game at Liverpool is another massive test for us but the higher the stakes, the better we seem to play.

Gerard Houllier's team are currently going through a bit of a rocky patch so all the pressure is on them to get a result.

That said, they remain a dangerous foe and, with players like Michael Owen and Milan Baros about, our defence will need to be on red alert again.

In Martin Taylor, however, we have a giant of our own and if he continues to perform like he did against Man Utd, then it won't be long before Sven's giving him a call.

I've known for a long time just how good Tiny is after we came through the youth system together.

And now he's really starting to fulfil the huge potential everyone at the club knew he had.

I know people have criticised him in the past for lacking a bit of physical presence but he seems to have added that to his game in the last 12 months.

And it says everything about him when players of the calibre of Van Nistelrooy barely get a sight of goal against him.

Those two blocks he made during the first half on Sunday were reminiscent of a certain Colin Hendry and if he continues to perform like that then international honours will surely follow.

As for me, I can't seem to shake off my injury problems at the moment which is massively frustrating.

But that's part and parcel of being a footballer, I suppose. You get highs and lows so I've just got to concentrate on getting myself fit again.

In the meantime, can I take this opportunity to wish all Rovers fans everywhere a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Let's hope 2003 is just as memorable as the last 12 months have been and a return to Cardiff certainly wouldn't go amiss.