BLACKBURN skipper Garry Flitcroft insists Rovers need battlers not bottlers as they go in search of a vital victory at Middlesbrough tomorrow.

Graeme Souness's side are currently hovering precariously above the relegation zone after winning just one of their last eight league games.

But Flitcroft is convinced that Rovers will dig themselves out of the mire providing his team-mates roll up their sleeves and prove they have the stomach for a fight during the next three months.

"I knew at Christmas that we were going to be in it for the rest of the season and when you are down there, you tend to stay down there," said Flitcroft.

"We keep saying that we need results but we are not getting them so every game is a cup final from now on.

"We need winners out there and fighters. We don't need players who are going to chuck the towel in because it could be a scrap from now until the end of the season."

No-one epitomises that fighting spirit more than the skipper himself, who has led from the front with a goal in each of Rovers' last two games.

Now that commitment and desire must be echoed through the rest of the side during the next 15 games as they go in search of the 17 points they need to reach their 40 point target.

Flitcroft maintains the dressing room is still firmly behind Graeme Souness.

But the skipper also insists the players have a responsibility to put the effort in for the club as well as the manager.

"Everyone has got to be behind the manager and if they are not, then they have to play for the club," said Flitcroft.

"Blackburn have put players on good contracts and, for self-pride as well, I don't think any of the lads want to go down.

"We won't let that happen."

Meanwhile, Souness is hoping to celebrate his 100th Premiership game in charge of Rovers with a victory at the Riverside tomorrow.

A last minute equaliser from Markus Babbel rescued a point for Rovers when the two sides met on Boxing Day.

And Souness has warned his players they will have to perform better than that tomorrow, especially as Boro will be brimming with confidence after booking their place in the Carling Cup final in midweek.

"Their league form, like ours, has not been great but they beat Arsenal in the Cup this week and they'll take a lot of confidence from that performance," said Souness.

"They are very strong defensively and the system they play means their full-backs don't cross the halfway line which makes them very difficult to break down.

"But we've got to go there believing we can get a result."

Souness was devastated to see another precious Premiership point slip through his fingers when Chelsea scored a late winner at Ewood last week to send Rovers crashing to their seventh home defeat of the season.

"We were two minutes away from getting a result against one of the top teams in the country," said the Rovers boss.

"We'd battled hard to get ourselves back in the game but then we got the double-barrelled shot-gun out and shot ourselves in the foot, which has been the story of our season.

"We've got to start tightening up defensively."

Souness could bring Craig Short back into the equation tomorrow now that the veteran defender has recovered from a hamstring injury.

And Vratislav Gresko is also back in contention after serving a one-game ban.

New signings Jon Stead and Martin Andresen are also likely to be named in the squad but may have to settle for places on the bench.

Rovers are expected to pick from: Friedel, Neill, Gresko, Gray, Babbel, Todd, Flitcroft, Tugay, Douglas, Emerton, Cole, Gallagher, Yorke, Jansen, Stead, Andresen, Johansson, Short, Enckelman.

Elsewhere, Alan Mahon agreed to join Wigan yesterday.

The Republic of Ireland international has signed a three-year deal with the Latics and Rovers will receive a small transfer fee.

Mahon is expected to make his debut against Ipswich tomorrow - the club who tried to sign him permanently earlier this season.