BENNI McCarthy reckons Saturday's victory over Fulham could prove to be a turning point in Blackburn Rovers' season.

After six games without a win in the Premiership, Rovers roared back to form with a 2-0 victory over the Londoners at Ewood Park.

And McCarthy believes that result and performance could prove to be a launchpad for the rest of the campaign, as Rovers set their sights on a place in the top half of the table, as well as a long run in Europe.

The South African international, who grabbed his eighth goal of the season at the weekend, said: "It was very, very important to get the three points against Fulham because we were really down there near the bottom, even though we are a lot better than a lot of the teams above us.

"It's therefore important that we start winning games and getting the three points so we can get away from the relegation zone.

"Hopefully now we can continue this kind of form in the league.

"Maybe we were more worried about the UEFA Cup than we were about doing well in the Premier League, because we know it's difficult to compete in both.

"But now we have qualified for the next stage in Europe, maybe we can concentrate on the Premier League.

"We've got a lot of injuries at the moment and we just hope everyone else stays injury free because that will help us get good results.

"We know we are a good side, we create a lot of chances, and we can win a lot of games, but we need all our players present."

Rovers made the dream start on Saturday, scoring after six minutes when Shabani Nonda grabbed his first goal since September 23.

McCarthy then put the seal on a convincing team performance when he scored a typically opportunist effort midway through the first half to put the game out of Fulham's reach.

That was his first league goal since the 1-1 draw at Anfield in October and though he was relieved to end his drought, he was even more delighted for Nonda, who had gone even longer without finding the net.

"I'm delighted that Shabani scored. Now he can be more at ease and I'm sure he'll score a lot of goals because he is a fantastic goalscorer," said McCarthy.

"He just needed that little boost of confidence. But he's got off the mark at home now and that's fantastic for him.

"It was definitely playing on his mind. If you work hard and do all the right things but then don't get your reward with a goal it can be frustrating.

"But obviously now he has scored and he should be more relaxed as a result, knowing that hard work does eventually pay off."

McCarthy revealed he and Nonda have both tried to help each other in the quest for more Premiership goals, so it was satisfying to see both of their names on the scoresheet again.

"We're always talking to each other and trying to encourage each other," added the former Porto star.

"I was also starting to get on the same bus as him, even though I've got more goals than him.

"But I'd still gone five league games without a goal so it wasn't just Shabani who needed a goal.

"You do start getting a bit worried but you need to stay calm because the team needs us, so you can't think too much about it.

"You've just got to work hard for the team, try and stay positive, and you'll always get little things dropping your way here and there.

"If you then score, it's an extra bonus, and that's exactly what happened."

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