JEFF Kenna aims to put his World Cup woe behind him by helping Blackburn Rovers to continue their chase for honours in the Premiership.

And the next few weeks will be crucial, as Rovers face the other three members of the top four - starting with Chelsea at Ewood on Saturday.

The full back was one of the unsung heroes of a brave Republic of Ireland performance which all but earned them qualification for the World Cup finals in Belgium at the weekend.

Failure to reach France 98 was a real downer for Kenna and his colleagues, but he is determined to put it where it belongs - in the past.

And he believes that Rovers' involvement at the top of the table is just what the doctor ordered to help lift any lingering international hangover.

"The club's going really well at the moment," he said.

"And that does give me a lift.

"We have some tough games coming up to see if we can maintain what we have done so far.

"There's Chelsea on Saturday and then Manchester United. I don't think you need to look any further." The match against Chelsea on Saturday, including their Italian contingent, will serve as a stark reminder of how close Kenna came to playing in France next summer.

For the Italians were also involved in the tense two-legged play-offs after finishing second in their qualifying group.

The difference was that Italy beat Russia to make it and the Irish lost out to Belgium.

Going so close made it all the harder to bear for the Republic.

"It was terrible, we were literally one goal away from appearing in France," said the Rovers defender.

"The hardest part will be when the build-up begins, especially with England and Scotland there, and I can expect a lot of stick from some of the lads.

"We thought we were extremely good value for a draw and it was so disappointing. It was one of the lowest points of my career."

"But I have to be professional enough to put the disappointment aside and get on with it. You mope around for a few days but club football is your bread and butter, internationals are the icing on the cake."

Kenna, now 27, is nothing if not a realist and admits he could have just one more chance of appearing in the World Cup finals.

And he knows there are new challengers coming through all the time, hoping to claim those coveted international places.

"You have to be realistic, the younger lads are desperate to get into your shoes," he said. "I probably have one more campaign left in me.

"It helps when the club is doing so well but, at the same time, you want to be out there in France playing in the World Cup finals."

Nothing can compensate any player from missing out on an appearance at the game's pinnacle but there will be a lot of consolation if he can help Rovers to achieve his and the club's objectives this season.

And there couldn't be a much bigger occasion than Saturday's visit of Chelsea to help him forget about last weekend's sickener.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.