BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder David Thompson has described tomorrow's crucial six-pointer with Norwich as a 'monster game' in the battle to stay in the Premier League.

Rovers have not picked up an away point all season and if they lose at Carrow Road they will equal their worst ever start to a Premiership season.

But Thompson insists Mark Hughes's squad are quietly confident they can turn the corner in the Norfolk.

And with all four sides at the bottom of the table playing each other this weekend, Rovers know they can strike a huge psychological blow over their fellow strugglers by picking up their first away win since April 24 by beating the Canaries.

"It's a monster game but I think if we play the way we did against Liverpool and cut out the silly mistakes then we can definitely get the three points," said Thompson.

"We've played some tough teams recently but we're about to start playing teams who are around our level and we're capable of beating them.

"In saying that, we shouldn't just expect to beat them because you still have to go out and perform.

"But if we perform like we did last weekend then we've got every chance."

After back-to-back 4-0 defeats at the hands of Middlesbrough and Chelsea, Rovers managed to stop the rot last week with that battling 2-2 home draw against Liverpool - a result that temporarily lifted them off the bottom of the table only for Norwich to leapfrog them again on Monday night after their 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

It was important Rovers made some kind of statement in front of their home fans after a run of just one win from their opening 11 matches.

And although they conceded a sloppy second half equaliser which ultimately cost them three points, the whole Rovers camp took heart from what was a battling performance.

"I understand it was important to put on a performance on the back of two 4-0 defeats but I'd just settle for three points right now, even if we have to play scrappy football to achieve it," said Thompson.

"We can work on the way we play when we're a little bit further up the table so, from that point of view, it was a bonus that we played so well.

"It was a bit gut-wrenching when we conceded that second goal because we definitely deserved to win the game.

"But if you don't cut out the silly mistakes then you're going to get punished.

"We gave the ball away in midfield and it ended up in the back of our net, which just shows how cut-throat this league can be."

Now Rovers are hoping to build on that performance with a positive result at Norwich - the team directly above them in the Premier League table.

They haven't picked up a point away from Ewood since Everton were defeated 1-0 at Goodison Park in April.

But they won't stand a better chance of breaking that sequence than against a club that has gone 19 games in the Premiership without a win - a run that stretches back to March 1995 when they last got relegated.

This term, the Norfolk club have picked up just three points from a possible 15 at home, and failure tomorrow would make it the joint third longest wait for a win in Premiership history.

But Nigel Worthington's side are no pushovers and in Darren Huckerby they possess a player who can pose a threat to any defence on his day.

"He's a danger and he definitely needs to be watched," warned Thompson, who's hoping for a place in the Rovers squad.

"I've heard comments suggesting that he's not Premier League standard but he definitely is as far as I'm concerned.

"No-one can fault the effort he puts in and the chances he creates and he might be an individual but he works so hard for the team.

"He's unorthodox, he's off the cuff but that's why people like him and he's played for good clubs.

"So he's a good player and we're definitely going to have to keep him quiet."