MANY Rovers supporters were sporting enough to stay behind and salute new First Division champions Charlton Athletic at the end of yesterday's Ewood clash.

And Rovers boss Graeme Souness was quick to follow them in praising Alan Curbishley's side.

"If you win a championship, it means you are the best team," said Souness.

"You can win a cup with a wee bit of luck but if you win the league it means you have been the best team throughout the season and Charlton are worthy champions."

Curbishley, naturally, was ecstatic that the waiting was finally over and his team had clinched what he felt were their just desserts.

"I would have liked to have done it last week in front of our own fans," he said. "But now we can look forward to a bit of a party at the next game. But it's Ipswich and we have to conduct ourselves in the right way, which I am sure we will.

"The gap we had opened up at the top of the table caused us a problem because if we hadn't done it, the failure would have been unbearable.

"We had two opportunities to have done it last week but couldn't take them.

"It hasn't really been nervy, the players have conducted themselves okay but it just wouldn't happen for them.

"But we were always confident we would do it, it was just a matter of when.

"We also had a bonus in that Manchester City had to keep winning every game and it's not that easy."

As for the game, Curbishley said he thought his team should have won.

"I thought we were in complete control until the penalty.

"That was very disappointing. I am not too sure whether he caught him or not but I kept thinking how disappointing it would have been if we had needed the win."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It sums up the bigger picture for Blackburn Rovers. The top goalscorer reached double figures in the league today, on the third last game of the season -- and he's a midfield player. That tells its own story" -- Graeme Souness.