BLACKBURN Rovers striker Benni McCarthy has admitted life in the Premiership has been tougher than he expected.

The 29-year-old finally fulfilled a long-term ambition when he secured a dream move to England with Blackburn in the summer.

But although the former Porto hit-man has proved a big hit with Rovers so far, scoring nine goals in 24 appearances for his new club, including one in the 2-1 win at Reading on Saturday, he's confessed he found it hard initially to adjust to the pace and intensity of the Premier League.

"The Premiership is so physically demanding, every game is like a cup final," said McCarthy.

"I've played in Holland, I've played in Spain, I've played in Portugal, and not every game is so fast and so difficult.

"Even if you're playing against the bottom team in the league, it's as difficult as playing Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea.

"In Holland, Spain and Portugal only a few teams made you really work hard and concentrate for 90 minutes. Here you have to be in top form in every game.

"But I'm enjoying it a lot here. I'm at a great club and everyone has made me very welcome."

McCarthy may have taken time to adjust to a new style of football, but his goals have still been invaluable to Rovers this term, particularly in Europe, where he has scored three times in six appearances to help fire the club into the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

However, it's in the Premiership where the striker really wants to make his mark, and though he concedes he's a different type of player now compared to the one that first started attracting the interest of English clubs six years ago, he believes his experience could be vital as Rovers look to ease themselves away from trouble during the second half of the season.

"The older you get, it gets a little more difficult because you're starting to feel that your legs aren't doing the things they once could!

"When I was linked with a move to England in the past, I was much younger, much fresher, so I think I would have coped better on the pitch.

"However, it works both ways. I'm more mature and I have more experience - and that counts for a lot."

Unfortunately, Rovers won't be able to draw on McCarthy's experience when they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday because the striker will serve a one-match ban for picking up his fifth booking of the season in the win at Reading.

Rovers' leading scorer entered the book for venting his frustrations at the assistant referee after he had THREE goals ruled out for offside at the Madejski - at least one of them incorrectly - before he finally found the net with a diving header.

Reflecting on an uneventful afternoon, he said: "That's the first time I've ever had a hat-trick of disallowed goals in one game, and I never imagined in my life that would happen in England.

"When I was booked, I was only passing the ball to the linesman and telling him 'I was waiting for your flag to go up so you might as well just keep the ball.' "The referee, Graham Poll, said he had to give me a yellow card because you can't do that. I don't know whether it goes down as dissent, but in hindsight it was stupid and childish on my part.

"But you get frustrated when you have three goals disallowed, your team is losing, and it's starting to feel as if there isn't a single onside position on the pitch."

McCarthy has now been caught offside 40 times this season - more than any other striker in the Premier League - but he insists he will continue to keep making the runs in his quest for more goals.

"I'm always on the look-out for a chance and to score goals, and sometimes I'm probably too eager for my own good," he added.

"Maybe I could time some of my runs a bit better, and sometimes my team-mates might take an extra touch before delivering the pass, but it doesn't matter whether you are a metre or a mile offside.

"If we keep playing like that, the chances will come and the flag will not always go up!"