MARK Hughes last night declared we are back on track' after his Blackburn Rovers players secured a vital 2-0 win over Sunderland that boosted their hopes of qualifying for Europe.

After back-to-back Premiership defeats against West Brom and Everton had dented their European aspirations, Rovers returned to winning ways thanks to leading scorer Craig Bellamy, who shrugged off stories about an alleged nightclub attack to score twice against the Black Cats.

That result lifted Rovers back up to seventh position in the Premier League table, two points off Arsenal in fifth, and Hughes remains confident his team can climb even higher between now and the end of the season, providing they maintain their excellent form at Ewood.

"If we continue in the same vein and keep on picking up points at home then let's see how far we can go," said the Rovers boss.

"We've got 40 points now and we are very much in the mix again.

"We haven't had a great deal of credit from many areas (for what we've achieved so far), but we know what we have done here and we are really going to have a go in the latter part of the season."

With Rovers not in action again now until Saturday week, Hughes was set to whisk his players off to Dubai today for a sunshine break and a chance to recharge the batteries, in readiness for a European push during the final two months of the season.

And the Rovers boss has still not totally ruled out the possibility of a top four finish, although he admits a UEFA Cup spot rather than a Champions League is a more realistic target for the squad to strive for.

"I think you should always try and set targets that are realistic," said Hughes.

"We've set targets this year which, up to this point, we've hit and, to be fair, after the Manchester United game, we actually revised those targets to try and push ourselves even more.

"Unfortunately, we then lost our next two games but we are back on track again.

"We've got a break now where we'll regroup and just recover a bit because it's been a really intense period for everyone at the club.

"It's been a huge effort and we've now got the chance to get away and recover from our exertions up to this point.

"Then we'll come back for the Arsenal game (next Saturday) and who knows?

"It's another home game and there's no reason why we can't beat them at Ewood like we did with United."

Rovers took the lead last night when Bellamy bagged his 10th goal of an injury-plagued season in the 38th minute, and the Welshman then wrapped up the points midway through the second half thanks to another assured finish.

"It was important to score the first goal," said Hughes.

"We've had a couple of defeats away from Ewood and I think that first goal settled us down a bit and it was pretty straightforward after that.

"In the second half, they didn't really create a great deal and I always felt that we were more than comfortable.

"Overall, I thought it was a good, professional performance and we are delighted with the three points."

Hughes paid special tribute to Bellamy, who managed to keep his mind focused on the job despite being wanted by police for questioning in connection with an alleged attack that took place in a Cardiff nightclub on February 5.

Asked if the striker had found it difficult to prepare for the game, Hughes replied: "That wasn't hard at all. I think he showed that on the pitch tonight."

Last night's victory means Rovers have now reached the magical' 40-point mark almost two months earlier than they did last season.

Hughes added: "We are pleased with that. After the trials and tribulations of last season, it's a fantastic effort to get to 40 points at this stage in the season so that shows the players great credit.

"Now we are looking forward to the latter part of the season and we'll see how far we can go."