PREM AMBITION DRIVES DANNY

Defender relishing Rovers bid

- Dave Flett

DANNY Batth has not given up on becoming a Premier League footballer at the age of 34 after helping propel Blackburn Rovers back into the Championship play-off frame.

Ahead of yesterday's Ewood Park encounter with Luton, the 6ft 2in defender had played a key role during a fivematch winning streak, including four straight 1-0 triumphs, that had moved Rovers into fifth place.

And being bang in the mix for promotion to this country's highest echelon is a familiar position for Batth, having been part of the Norwich City and Sunderland squads that secured top-six spots during the past two campaigns.

After falling out of favour with the Canaries and picking up an untimely injury with the Black Cats, however, Batth did not feature in either of his previous clubs' play-off semi-final exits as the latest in a long line of chances to prove himself in the top tier went begging.

In the past, at the tender age of 20, he made the bench for home-town club Wolves against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City but never made it onto the top-flight turf.