PAUL Ince insists there is no embarrassment in delving into the lower leagues to unearth new Premier League talent as the Rovers boss continues to battle against the game’s riches.

As the opening of the January transfer window looms large, Ince accepts Rovers will be at the back of the queue for some of football’s more well-known talent – but remains confident there are plenty of ‘affordable’ gems still to be found.

Keith Andrews’ arrival at Ewood Park from League One MK Dons earlier this season has shown making the step up is possible as Ince’s transfer search leaves no stones unturned.

As well as scouring the world for untapped talent, Ince will continue returning down the football pyramid as he looks to take advantage of a knowledge many top-flight bosses don’t possess.

He said: “Keith Andrews is a prime example but if you don’t work in those leagues you don’t know what players are coming through those leagues.

“I knew straight away with Keith, even when he was at Wolves with me, that he could perform in the Premier League. He has shown that this season.

“I think when you get given so much money in the Premier League, you want to try and look for the best, you look for the £8m or £9m player.

“You don’t want to look down that low, you feel a bit embarrassed. But clubs like us, who don’t have the financial resources, have to look at those players.”

The Ewood Park chief has vowed he will make additions come January to strengthen his relegation-troubled squad but admits, until he knows what funds are available, his wish-list is difficult to draw up.

He remains insistent he will get the backing of chairman John Williams ahead of the rush for new blood but warns realism could prove a key word with Rovers’ Premier League rivals having the edge on spending power.

He said: “Even the best Championship players will still cost you £7million so you can see the hard thing for clubs like Blackburn. Keith cost £500,000 and he was worth every pound.

“We are always looking for players but you can only look so far in how much we can afford to pay for players and it is getting harder and harder to compete.

“We are always trying to find bargains which is not easy nowadays. We know where we are financially. Even look at Bolton and Fulham, they are buying £10m strikers.

“We know that is way out of our jurisdiction.

“But if there is someone that I want and I go to the chairman, we will go from there.”

In his bid to beat the financial odds, several foreign trialists have already started to be put through their paces at Ewood Park this week, but Ince admits even that is not ideal.

Egyptian winger Ahmed Al-Muhammadi and Norwe-gian defender Tore Regini-ussen have impressed, but the Rovers boss admits bringing players in on trial can cause its own disruption.

He said: “It is hard. We are nearly in December, have a huge amount of games and the last thing we want is to get so many trialists coming in.

“We have to be realistic though. If you look at our spending we are the lowest in the Premier League and it has been a battle for years.”