MIKE Newell hopes to celebrate his 42nd birthday in style tomorrow by knocking his old club Blackburn Rovers out of the FA Cup.

The Luton boss can enhance his reputation as one of the game's most promising managers by masterminding a giantkilling in front of the BBC cameras at Kenilworth Road.

It will be the first time Newell has faced Rovers as a manager, and though he rates his time at Ewood as the happiest period in his career, the Hatters chief insists there will be no room for sentiment as he and his players target a place in the fifth round.

The former Rovers striker, who scored 48 goals in 145 starts during five years with the club, said: "It's always nice to play against one of your old teams.

"I enjoyed my time at Blackburn and it was probably the peak of my career and my most successful time at any club, but my days are all gone now and it's the players who should be looking forward to playing in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Premier League opposition, and live on television.

"I'll get a bit excited by it all, but I expect the players will be more excited than I will be."

Newell was a key part of the success Blackburn enjoyed during a golden period in the club's history.

Signed by Kenny Dalglish from Everton in November 1991, Newell became Rovers' first million pound player when he arrived at the start of the Jack Walker revolution, and over the next four years he witnessed an amazing transformation, both on and off the pitch, culminating in the Premiership title triumph of 1995.

"It was my most successful period," said Newell, who will always be remembered fondly for scoring the winner in the play-off final, which proved the catalyst for Rovers' meteoric rise.

"We had a great few years, a good squad and some great players.

"It was nice for me to play with players at the top of their game and who went on to be even better than they were at Blackburn.

"It's something you can look back on when you've finished playing, which I have done, but none of that will give us an edge over Blackburn tomorrow."

Even now, 12 years after lifting the Premier League title, Newell still finds it hard to comprehend the enormity of the achievements under King Kenny'.

"I don't think people realised the job that was done there, to be honest," said the Luton chief.

"People just look at it as spending money, but there was no more money spent than some of the other clubs were spending at the time - the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool, and clubs that have spent money since.

"Kenny brought good players, and brought them from the First Division into the Premier League, and we finished fourth, second, first and seventh over four years.

"I would defy anyone to get someone who's eighth bottom in the Championship up into the Premier League and win it now - it would be impossible."

Now Newell is trying to make his own way in the game as a manager, and he would love nothing more than to plot Rovers' downfall live on national TV.

He added: "I was looking at it last week, and looking at the results that Blackburn have had away from home before they lost at Watford.

"With the squad we've got available, and the players we've got available, I was honestly thinking it could be embarrassing if we get through.

"But then they lost at Watford, and lost two players with a broken leg in a week, and we went and beat QPR so you just never know."