BARRY Ferguson has praised the role Paul Dickov has played in Blackburn Rovers' recent revival - even though he has pinched the job of taking penalties off him.

When Ferguson first signed for Rovers at the beginning of last season, he arrived at Ewood with a reputation for being an expert penalty taker.

But Blackburn's failure to 'win' a single spot-kick throughout last season meant the former Rangers star never got the chance to prove himself from 12 yards.

Rovers' 18 month wait for a penalty finally came to an end after 53 games in the recent 1-1 draw at Manchester City but it was Dickov, not Ferguson, who stepped up to score from the spot and the Scotland striker now looks set to keep the job after making it two out of two against Fulham last week.

"I'm not too bothered who takes them," said Ferguson.

"To be honest, I missed a couple for Rangers anyway just before I signed for Blackburn.

"If Dickie's not playing then I'll take them but he's been taking them throughout his career and he's doing a good job at the moment."

In the meantime, Ferguson claims Dickov's recent form up front is one of the main reasons why Rovers have gone five games without defeat.

"You always know what you're going to get with Dickie - 100 per cent every time," said the Rovers skipper.

"For such a wee guy, he's a little hard nut and he's great for us.

"He holds the ball in well and gets his fair share of goals. He has always been underrated, but he proved last season in a struggling Leicester team that he could do a job."

that he could do a job and he's proving it again."