BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes believes Craig Bellamy has still to hit top gear despite scoring four goals in his last three Premiership appearances for the club.

Bellamy's blistering form over the last month has been one of the key factors in Rovers' rise up the Premier League table.

However, Hughes insists there's still more to come from the inspirational Welshman - and he's backing new fitness coach Tony Strudwick as the man to draw it out of his star performer over the next few months.

"Craig still hasn't had that many games so it's a case of getting more matches under his belt," said Hughes.

"But we see him day in, day out in training and he looks really sharp at the moment.

"He's missed a lot of power work, which he does independently of the rest of the group, so he wants to get back to doing that and we'll reap the benefits.

"He's a conscientious professional who does the best he can to get himself in the best possible shape on the pitch, so he's still building up to that level but he's not far away now."

Strudwick is already starting to make a major impact at Brockhall after being brought to the club by Hughes last month.

Rovers were already one of the fittest sides in the

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Premiership, even before the former Coventry and West Ham coach pitched up at Ewood.

But now Hughes believes Strudwick can give his players an even greater edge over their Premiership rivals by working with people like Bellamy on a one-to-one basis.

"Tony wasn't just brought in for Craig's benefit, he was brought in for the benefit of the club," said the Rovers boss.

"I felt there was a gap in the club's staffing but we've closed that now and Tony is top drawer.

"He's got a good pedigree, he's got a good manner around the players, and, since he's come in, he's been accepted readily so it's been a good appointment.

"We pride ourselves on our fitness levels. Fitness wise, we run further, we run faster and we run at a higher intensity than most teams we come up against.

"But what we need to do is not rest on that. We need to become even stronger and more powerful.

"The strength and conditioning side of our game has not lapsed but it hasn't had as much specialised input as I felt we needed, so that was the reason why Tony was brought in."

In the meantime, Bellamy returns to international duty tonight after a seven-month absence and Wales boss John Toshack sees him as the key to the future of the national side.

Toshack has had a difficult time since taking over from Mark Hughes a year ago and Bellamy's return for this evening's friendly in Cyprus is much welcomed.

"Craig's important for us, no question," said Toshack.

"He's always keen when he's here, sometimes you have to slow him down because he is always busy and buzzing.

"We are hoping now that as he gets older he will start to realise a few things himself and during the week there are certain things he can concentrate on, while others he does not need to bother about.

"Hopefully then he will stay fitter over a longer period of time.

"All teams have key players and Bellamy is the kind of player we need."