Wednesday 3 May 2017 16:56, UK
Tony Mowbray insists Blackburn are desperate to stay in the Sky Bet Championship, but admits his side are in peril going into a decisive weekend.
A Blackburn win at Brentford that is two goals better than Nottingham Forest at home to Ipswich means they would overhaul Forest, or if they better Forest's result.
Victory for Blackburn, along with a Birmingham loss at Bristol City, will also ensure Rovers' survival, and Mowbray, speaking to the EFL Weekly Podcast, had nothing but praise for his side ahead of the decisive final day.
"We're holding up okay. It's been 10 weeks since I got here, struggle is the wrong word, this is a fantastically hard-working group of footballers desperate to stay in the league.
"We've probably drawn too many matches, but here we are finding ourselves on the last day still in peril really, in the bottom three trying to find a victory to give ourselves a chance.
"We need to go and win, that's our thinking, and even that might not be enough, but we could also not win and it could be enough. We start the football match trying to win it, to be as positive as we can. We will try and nullify them as much as we can too."
Mowbray took over from Owen Coyle in February, and insists the players have been hard working ever since his arrival at Ewood Park.
The 50-year-old added that the players at Rovers are too good to be in League One, and predicts they will be at the other end of the table next season if they are to survive.
Mowbray said: "They've responded since the minute I walked in, it hasn't ever been a complaint of mine. There's always pressure, but it's how you handle it, and the players have handled it pretty well.
"This group of players shouldn't really be where they are, and we have to deal with the aspect of the last-day survival.
"What I do know is if we get through this we will be a lot stronger next year, up the other end of the table."
Watch Nottingham Forest v Ipswich and Brentford v Blackburn live on Sky Sports, both at midday on Sunday
