BLACKBURN ROVERS boss Mark Hughes says he's determined his team won't be the fall guys for teams at the bottom of the table as he takes Blackburn to basement side Watford tonight.

The Blues have already lost to West Ham and Charlton on their travels this season, two of the Premiership's bottom three, and Hughes is hoping the hex doesn't strike again.

But Rovers are in irresistible form.

Saturday's 3-0 win over City was their seventh in nine games - their fourth win in their last five road trips - and Rovers are now in the top half of the table for the first time this season.

A win tonight will take them to ninth and only three points behind Portsmouth in the final automatic European place in sixth.

And Hughes said he is keen to see his side take full advantage against a Watford team who have only won one game all season - at home to Middlesbrough at the beginning of November.

He said: "It's our game in hand and it'll be good to capitalise on it after a good win at the weekend. It was another win away from home and our away form has been excellent of late.

"But we've got in the back of our minds that we've already been beaten by the likes of West Ham and Charlton and we're determined not to be anybody's fall guy."

With Watford seemingly destined for the drop, as they sit eight points from safety, Hughes will still be wary of Adrian Boothroyd's men He added: "You can look at it a couple of ways.

"They may feel that they are in a difficult situation that can't be turned around and maybe they won't be as focused as they have been.

"But they are still making it very difficult for teams to break them down, as they showed at the weekend (against Aston Villa).

"It took an own goal and a break away at the end of the game to overcome them so they're still working hard for the manager, trying to do the right things and I would expect to continue from now until the end of the year."

And with Watford's prize asset Ashley Young on his way to Villa, Hughes added: "Maybe they're looking to build for the future and that's why the guy has been released now.

"I'm sure whoever they pick, they will try and get that elusive win they have been looking to get for quite some time."

But Hughes' men have no problems on that score.

Before they won at Reading in mid-December, Rovers were languishing in 16th place with 19 points.

Now, just over a month later, they are serious contenders for the top six.

And Hughes put their change in fortunes down to a new belief on the road.

He added: "Our away form is excellent at the moment.

"At home, we've played nearly all the top sides and our home form isn't as strong as it was last year and we'll have to rectify that when we come back to Ewood.

"But our away form is as good as it has been since I've been here.

"We just recognised that in certain games, early in the season, we had to tighten up. We were a little bit open in the away games and were possibly approaching games in the same way we would at Ewood.

"I think we recognised that and we addressed it and I think we're better for it.

"I think we've shown just what everybody recognised that we're a good Premiership team, a top 10 Premiership team, and over the course of a long season I'd like to think we could come through.

"If we win tonight then we're only three points away from Portsmouth so we're there or thereabouts.

"There are a number of clubs who have the opportunity to get into Europe and we certainly feel that we're one of those clubs."