BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is aiming to have the last laugh tomorrow by conjuring up a plan to stop Manchester's version of 'Laurel and Hardy'.

It was Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce who recently likened his deadly double act of Andy Cole and Darius Vassell to the legendary comedy duo from the silverscreen.

Pearce, the former England defender, made the tongue-in-cheek remark in an attempt to illustrate the telepathic understanding that exists between his two star strikers.

And he would appear to have a point judging by the way Cole and Vassell have set the Premiership alight, sharing 10 goals between them since they struck up their lethal partnership at the beginning of the campaign.

That constitutes a remarkable revival for two players whose best days seemed to be behind them when they pitched up in the blue half of Manchester and Cole, in particular, is revelling in the renaissance after having the fire in his belly rekindled by Pearce.

Speaking ahead of Rovers' trip to the City of Manchester Stadium, Hughes said of his former team-mate: "I saw Andy play against Aston Villa recently and he did exceptionally well that night.

"He seems to have developed a good understanding with Darius Vassell, they both appear to be enjoying their football at the moment, and they seem to be having a major impact."

Cole's resurgence with City perhaps says as much about Graeme Souness's man-management skills as it does about the player's character.

At Blackburn, Souness rarely got the best out of the 34-year-old, even though he averaged a goal every three games, which is a respectable ratio at Premiership level.

Eventually, after a series of off-the-field bust-ups, their relationship deteriorated to such an extent that Cole demanded a move and he spent last season at Fulham, where he finished the campaign as the Londoners' top scorer.

However, with his family still based in the north west, Cole never truly settled in the capital so when the opportunity arose to sign for City in the summer, he jumped at it and he's now virtually unrecognisable compared to the often sultry figure he cut in that final season at Blackburn.

"Sometimes it's hard to keep going (when you're not enjoying it) but whenever I've seen Andrew, he's always looked like he's wanted to take part in games," said Hughes.

"When he was at Fulham, for instance, I thought he was excellent.

"I think he's the type of guy who needs to feel comfortable in his surroundings and comfortable at home.

"Possibly having to commute at Fulham had an impact on him towards the end of last season.

"But he looks happier in his surroundings now and he's enjoying his football again."

As for tomorrow's game, a win for Rovers could see them soar as high as fifth in the table, depending on results elsewhere.

While much has been made of City's impressive start to the campaign, Rovers have crept up the table largely unnoticed thanks to a run of four wins in their last six league games, the most recent being the 4-1 trouncing of Charlton a fortnight ago.

"We're just quietly getting on with our business and, slowly but surely, we're getting near to where we want to be," added Hughes.

"No-one has really shouted about what we are doing here and probably the game against Charlton was the first time one or two have sat up and taken notice of us.

"So we'll keep getting on with what we need to do and the better we do, the more people will pay attention."