Bellamy leads strong team

Sep 21 2005 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

MARK HUGHES is ready to unleash Craig Bellamy on Town in a bid to avoid the kind of embarrassing Cup exit Blackburn suffered against Bournemouth last season.

The Ewood Park boss has vowed to field a near full-strength side as Rovers kick off their Carling Cup campaign at Ewood Park.

And Hughes confirmed Bellamy will definitely start the second-round tie as he looks for the morale-boosting win needed to get Rovers' season up and running.

Hughes, who still has unhappy memories of that Bournemouth defeat when his decision to field a weakened side backfired on him, said: "Resting players in the early rounds sometimes gives you the opportunity to look at other things.

"But, first and foremost, we are looking to progress. That's what we want to do.

"We'll make a few changes but I'm of the view that we're better off starting with a strong side and, if we can then get into a position where I've got the chance to rest a few more, then I'll do that in the latter stages of the game.

"But I won't go into it with a weakened side and then get in a situation where we go behind and you have to throw your stronger players on to get you out of a hole.

"I'll play a strong side. We want to progress in the competition, we feel it's a good opportunity for us, and the Cup run we had in the FA Cup helped us last year with our League form.

"If we can have a run in either of the Cups again then that will help."

Rovers go into the tie having failed to score in each of their last four League games, but Hughes puts a lot of that down to the absence of Bellamy, who has made only two appearances this season due to a thigh injury.