BLACKBURN midfielder David Bentley says he will consider the season a failure if Rovers end up missing out on a place in the top four.

With just three points separating Rovers and Liverpool, who currently occupy the fourth Champions League position, Bentley believes he and his team-mates should be setting their sights on a push for the top four during the run-in.

That's a bold statement of intent from the England international, but, knowing the quality that manager Mark Hughes has at his disposal, Bentley is convinced Rovers have what it takes to gatecrash the fight for Champions League places.

Speaking ahead of today's home clash with Middlesbrough, a bullish Bentley said: "This season, I'll only be happy with fourth and anything else will be a failure.

"I believe we're that good and hopefully everyone else in the squad does as well.

"And if we can perform to the levels we know we can, then why not?

"We are only three points behind fourth place and I see no reason why we can't push for it. I honestly believe we are good enough.

"If everyone stays fit then I look at every single position, and if every player performs in the way they should perform, and the way they can perform, then why not?

"We are a top four team if you look at it like that.

"But it's no good saying it, it's about going out there and doing it.

"We haven't got anything to fear; we know how good we are, and it's just about us going out there and doing it."

With Rovers one of five clubs on the coat tails of Liverpool, Bentley insists his team-mates possess enough quality to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Everton, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and West Ham during the run-in, provided they share his belief.

"It's all very well saying you're good, but I work with the players every day and I know how good we are," said Bentley.

"It's about going out there and consistently being a top Premiership player.

"That's what top footballers do; week in, week out they perform at a high level.

"They don't just think I'll have a day off today', and that's what we've got to do.

"We've got to keep playing to a high level, where each player knows his job, and we've got to go out there and perform.

"Take the game against Bolton last week. In the first half, we played as if we were equal to them, but if you look at every single player, in every single position, we are probably several times better than them.

"In the second half, everyone then started to think I'm a good player' and they found it difficult to live with us, and now we need to be doing that every week.

"That's not arrogance; it's having belief in your own ability."

In the meantime, Rovers are in talks with Bentley's advisers over a new, improved contract for the midfielder, as we revealed at the beginning of the month.

Bentley looks set to net a bumper pay-rise, barely 12 months after penning a four-year deal with the club, but the 23-year-old insists he is motivated more by success on the pitch, rather than the trappings that go with it.

He added: "You always get told if you take care of things on the pitch, then the stuff off the pitch takes care of itself.

"I haven't really discussed anything; I leave that down to other people.

"My first job is football, and I just want to be successful this season, so I don't care how much money someone is going to give me.

"I just want to play football to a certain level, and I honestly believe we can do it (make the top four) with the players that we've got here.

"It's only our failure that's going to stop us from getting there."