PAUL Robinson will have no room for sentiment at boyhood club Hull City tomorrow as he strives to avoid a repeat of the darkest day of his career.

The Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper was part of the Leeds United side that dropped out of the Premier League in 2004 and is desperate not to go through similar hurt at Ewood Park.

Rovers travel to fellow strugglers Hull City hunting for maximum points to help them out of the drop zone, with Robinson not about to let childhood memories get in the way of the ultimate priority.

The former England number one was born on the outskirts of Hull and spent his early days cheering the Tigers on at Boothferry Park, but family allegiances will be forgotten as he bids for a survival boost tomorrow.

He said: “It is massive - a huge game.

"Tottenham won at Hull on Monday which I think brought Hull back into it a little bit and if we beat them, I think it brings us to within three points of them with a game in hand.

“It just pulls another team into it. It is a massive game for both teams but more so for us.

"Hull is a massive game but it is not everything. We cannot lose at the weekend - we have to get a result and a win is almost a must.

“Nobody wants to go through a relegation because it is a horrible situation because players care.

"Winning really does mean a lot - we are born winners.

"So it is not a nice feeling to be losing enough to get relegated.

“I think the Leeds situation is very different. I think at the time Leeds got relegation, with the number of players who were being sold the turmoil was there.

"We are in a much, much stronger position to cope with the situation we are in here.”

A big Robinson presence is guaranteed at the KC Stadium tomorrow as both side’s of the goalkeeper’s family turn up with understandable mixed emotions.

But, despite the Hull roots, a Rovers win is the priority for all as the club’s safety, and Robinson’s personal fortunes, come before any previous loyalty.

“It was a bit different at Hull when I used to go there with my granddad,” he said.

“It was at Boothferry Park and I can remember one Christmas going there to clear snow off the pitch and getting a couple of free tickets to watch the game.

“It is certainly different to what the Hull City fans will be experiencing these days.

"My dad has not been getting any stick but he has been tapped up for plenty of tickets.

“I am expecting quite a few family there. I am from Beverley, just outside Hull, and my wife is from there so I have had to provide tickets for two families this weekend.

“I just want Blackburn to stay up, though. There is no sentiment at the moment. My only priority is Blackburn.”

Leeds United’s relegation should act as a stark warning to Sam Allardyce’s men before the survival scrap ahead, as a squad boasting the likes of Alan Smith, Jermaine Pennant and James Milner failed to save their status.

Rovers, boasting similar quality, know nothing is guaranteed but Robinson is confident his current side are better equipped to carry off any great escape than Leeds were.

He said: “At Leeds you would turn up for work some days and not know who would be left in the dressing room around you.

"It is a very different situation from the one we are in here.

“There is a very different mood - we genuinely believe we can get out of the situation we are in.

"We have had some decent performances without turning those into results.

“But there is no team that is too good to go down. Even at the end with Leeds we had some fantastic players left.

"You have to make sure that you are good enough to stay up.”