BLACKBURN Rovers chairman John Williams has urged supporters to keep the faith in the battle to secure a top-six finish.

While the rest of Rovers' rivals in the scramble to qualify for Europe were busy doing deals before last night's deadline, there was no late flurry of incoming transfer activity at Ewood Park, as manager Mark Hughes decided instead to keep his powder dry until the summer.

The only significant piece of business involving Rovers on deadline day saw striker Paul Gallagher join Championship outfit Stoke City on loan until the end of the season.

But while some supporters may be frustrated by the lack of new arrivals, Williams believes Rovers still have the strength in depth to mount a sustained charge for a UEFA Cup spot after the club successfully fended off enquiries for five of their leading players during the window, including leading scorer Roque Santa and star midfielder David Bentley.

Williams told the Lancashire Telegraph: "We had enquiries about five of our players and we could have been incredibly busy during the window by trading players.

"But that's not what we wanted to do. Mark has great faith in this squad and that's why we rejected all the enquiries we had.

"We could have sold four or five of our players and brought in another five or six, but that's not the direction in which we want to go.

"We want to keep the players we have and add to what we've got if possible, but the targets we had weren't available in the window.

"Several other things were put to us but they weren't going to make any difference so, in the end, we decided to keep our powder dry until the summer."

Rovers did make firm enquiries about a long-term midfield target and a striker but the clubs involved were unwilling to let either player go in January, so Hughes may now resurrect deals for both in the summer instead.

Right now, though, the focus remains firmly on trying to qualify for Europe for a third successive season, and with only five points separating Rovers and fourth-placed Everton, who they face at Ewood tomorrow, Hughes' side are still firmly in the running.

"We've got 14 games to go and if we have a bit of luck with injuries then we believe we've got a great chance," said Williams.

In the meantime, Stoke manager Tony Pulis was delighted to beat a posse of Championship rivals to the signature of Gallagher yesterday.

The 23-year-old spent the 2005-06 campaign on loan at the Britannia Stadium, scoring 12 goals, and Pulis is hoping he can make a similar impact during his second spell with the club.

"He is an absolutely fantastic signing. He has good quality and is very different to what we already have,'' said Pulis.

"We know him from last time he was here and we know he can score goals."

A couple of other deals involving Rovers players went through yesterday.