Hughes backs Stephen Reid

Steven Reid’s Blackburn career has been dogged by misfortune since he joined 18 months ago, but the Irish international midfielder is relishing a new lease of life that has seen him play a leading role in Blackburn’s drive to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Reid suffered a knee ligament injury that restricted his appearances last season after being signed from Millwall by Graeme Souness.

That injury was followed by Reid breaking a bone in his foot in pre-season training last summer and missing the first three months of the new campaign.

When Mark Hughes took over as manager in September, Reid found himself on the fringes of the first team but in the last couple of months he has made a central midfield position his own, and won plaudits during Blackburn’s run of just one defeat in eight games.

Much rests on Reid’s shoulders for next Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, but the midfielder is just happy to be playing.

He said: “It has been a difficult two years, and football-wise definitely so. I’ve had a few injuries and a few dips in form and to be honest the team as a whole has struggled the last couple of years.

“It’s nice to be back into the team and if I can get a run together finally then I hope I can continue the form I have shown in the last few weeks.

“It’s nice for people to be saying good things about me but it’s not so long ago that things weren’t going my way so you can’t take to heart all you read and hear. If you do, then you have the same sort of problems with injuries you had before you can be down in the dumps again.”

Reid was born and grew up in London but he insists he has never viewed his move to Lancashire as a mistake.

He added: “I signed a four-year deal and that still has a couple of years to run. Since I have been up here I have enjoyed every minute even though the football hasn’t always gone to plan.

“I settled in well and the lads have been as good as gold. I have been available for most of the season and have been happy with my recent form so I hope I am making it hard for the gaffer to leave me out from now on.”

Arsenal were the team that inflicted that one defeat on Rovers during their recent run – and that was with a virtual reserve side. Reid insists that Blackburn’s superb recent defensive performances mean that they will be no pushovers – and that the side will have no compunction about sacrificing entertainment if a means a chance of making the final.

Reid said: “The way we have been defending recently we have a solid base to build on.

“I would rather come away from a couple of those games 0-0 rather than get beat 4-3 or even draw 3-3, it’s good to keep clean sheets but when we do put our foot in and go the for the throat we get labelled as a team of bullies.

“We are just getting on with our football and are happy with the way we have been playing. It has been important at the grounds we have been going to that we defend strongly and it may not have been pretty but it has been pretty effective.

“At the start of the manager’s reign we might have rolled over in those games. But we have changed things around, Ryan [Nelsen] has come in and done brilliantly, and Andy Todd has been brilliant all season.

“Most of the lads are excited about playing in the game. Arsenal are going to have a few names back in their team but if we can build from our solid defensive base and make it hard for them to break us down I’m sure we will get a couple of chances on the day.

“You never know what can happen in a semi-final.”

Hughes reckons Reid is currently in the best form of his career.

“He is a great athlete who is relishing the challenge of central midfield,” said Hughes. “When he gets the ball at his feet and drives forward with pace and power, it is very difficult for opposing midfield players to cope with.

“I thought he was particularly impressive against Manchester United last week, more than standing up to the task of facing the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.”