ROVERS 5 BURNLEY 0

Short 14, Davis (og) 28, Jansen 55, 70, Hignett 82

GRAEME Souness's decision to whisk his players off to the Middle East could turn out to be a managerial masterstroke after Rovers launched their own version of operation desert storm to shatter Burnley's faint hopes of a play-off spot.

Refreshed and recharged following their seven day break in Dubai, Rovers roared to their biggest derby win since 1929 thanks to a second half goal-blitz inspired by Matt Jansen.

And, but for the generosity of referee Alan Butler, the damage could have been even greater for Stan Ternent and his Dad's Army on a day when the Ewood promotion bandwagon gathered momentum.

With Burnley desperate to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered back at Turf Moor in December, Souness and his troops knew this was a day for standing up and being counted.

And, in the white-hot atmosphere of an East Lancashire derby, who better to have alongside you in the trenches than the towering frame of Craig Short?

Ever since he quit his job as a bank clerk to become a professional footballer with Scarborough over a decade ago, the rugged defender has built up a reputation as a fearsome competitor.

In all that time, however, he has never been known for his goalscoring prowess -- until now, that is!

Short's first goal in FIVE years set Rovers on the way to their biggest league win of the season.

And he then cheekily tried to claim a second when his low cross-shot was deflected past Nik Michopoulos by the hapless Steve Davis to stop the Clarets firmly in their tracks.

"It was funny because when Shorty ran away after scoring he was screaming 'that's the first goal I've scored in five years,'" said two-goal hero Jansen.

"And then when the second went in he was shouting 'that's the second I've scored in five years.'

"So he's definitely trying to claim it because he reckons it was bending in.

"I don't know about that myself but I thought he was superb, as were all the lads.

"When we came back from Dubai we knew we would have been in trouble if we'd got beat here.

"But we couldn't have asked for anymore than winning 5-0 against Burnley."

Rovers have been threatening to give someone a hiding all season but it was beyond even the Blackburn End's wildest dreams to see it happen against the Clarets.

Considering this was supposed to be a derby, the ease with which they wrapped up the three points was embarrassingly easy.

In truth, Rovers were flattered by a 2-0 half-time lead.

But in a one-sided second half Burnley were about as organised as Captain Mainwaring and his bumbling charges as Bent and Jansen had a field day up front.

"To win 5-0 in a derby is a very unusual thing because they are usually fiercely contested," said Souness.

"We found ourselves two goals up without playing any football in the first half.

"Then in the second half, when the pace went out of the game, we started to find space, passed it around and caused Burnley lots of problems.

"We ending up scoring five but we could have scored more."

Ternent opted for a 3-5-2 formation in a bid to snuff out Rovers in midfield.

But skipper Garry Flitcroft was an inspirational force in the engine room, winning the physical battle against Ball.

And that provided the base for Dunn and Mahon to bomb forward at every opportunity.

Rovers repeatedly found oceans of space down the flanks, especially on the right where Graham Branch went AWOL.

The former Tranmere man was cruelly exposed inside the opening eight minutes when Jason McAteer fed Dunn who crossed for Jansen but his shot struck Davis and bounced back off the bar.

However, that reprieve lasted just six minutes.

Michopoulos punched a left-wing corner straight to Dunn on the edge of the box who had all the time in the world to hit a first time shot which was going wide until Short stuck out a foot and diverted it past two defenders on the line.

Not content with that, Short then had a big hand in the second on 28 minutes.

Mahon appeared to be fouled over on the left touch line but the referee played an excellent advantage as Short burst clear on the overlap and his shot-cum-cross struck Davis on the inside of his left boot, completely wrong-footing Michopoulos.

That double-whammy rocked the Clarets to the core but they nearly pulled one back when Gareth Taylor forced a stunning save out of Brad Friedel only for Ian Moore's follow up to be ruled out for offside.

After the break Rovers visibly upped the tempo and Burnley drowned under a relentless blue tide.

Jansen made it 3-0 on 55 minutes after brilliant work from Bent down the left.

And the former England Under 21 international then took his tally to18 for the season with 20 minutes left when he swapped passes with Mahon before racing clear to slot a cool finish inside Michopoulos's near post.

By now, Burnley had lost all shape as Rovers cut them to shreds at will and Michopoulos was lucky to escape unpunished when he hauled down Bent in the box.

However, it was left to substitute Craig Hignett to supply the Coup de Grace when he slammed home the fifth in the 82nd minute after a clever through ball from Mark Hughes.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Pic: Matt Jansen celebrates his first, and Rover's third, against Burnley