• ‘Premier League doesn’t mean anything to us’ says manager
• Paul Robinson happy to take semi-final to penalties

You would never guess it from his teams or his deadpan public pronouncements, but Sam Allardyce is a firm believer in the magic of the cup, even the Carling Cup.

“This is the game that could put us in the history books this season,” the Blackburn manager said of tomorrow night’s semi-final second leg at Aston Villa. “We are not the favourites to go through but if we do it will be our biggest result since reaching the final in 2002 [under Graeme Souness]. The Premier League is secondary, it doesn’t mean anything to us at the moment. The entire focus is on trying to get to Wembley.”

Given that Rovers had Paul Robinson to thank for not losing the home leg by a wider margin than a single goal last week, Allardyce’s optimism may seem misplaced, but he is experienced enough to know that nerves can affect both teams in a semi-final when one goal could change everything. “The first goal will be critical, and we have to make sure we are the ones who score it,” he said. “That means being patient, first and foremost, nullifying Villa’s strengths and trying to frustrate them. We know what their attacking players can do, and if we let Villa get the best out of them it will lift the crowd. Our job is to try to dampen the atmosphere, keep everything quiet, and then start probing for a goal of our own.

“We will need to be more clinical in our finishing than we have been, but if we can get back into the game we have a chance, even if it ends up going to penalties. In fact if you asked me now would I settle for penalties I would say yes.”

So would Robinson, the goalkeeper who helped Blackburn progress through a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea in the last round. A Carling Cup winner already with Tottenham in 2008, Robinson would be happy to take spot luck again at Villa Park. “I’d be pleased if the game went to penalties,” he said. “It would mean we had scored, for a start, and got ourselves back into the game. Plus, penalties are a bit of a win-win situation for goalkeepers. No one expects you to save them so you don’t get blamed if you lose.”

Robinson saw first hand at Ewood how swiftly Villa can counterattack, though he expects the second leg to be a more cagey affair. “It should be interesting, because I don’t think Villa can go gung-ho when one goal puts us back into the game,” he said. “On the other hand we can’t throw the kitchen sink at them either. They are very quick on the break and I think Martin O’Neill deserves a lot of credit for what he has achieved at Villa in a fairly short time.”

Blackburn are disappointed, though not exactly surprised, by the low level of ticket sales for both legs of the semi, though Allardyce can understand it given the size of the club and the economic climate. What he found harder to bear were boos from his own fans during the first leg, even in the second half when Rovers were attempting to fight back. “There’s so much negativity around the game at the moment I sometimes wonder why people bother to get involved,” he said. “But we all know what will happen if we reach the final. Everyone will be cheering, patting us on the back, then moaning like mad if they can’t get a ticket for Wembley. It was the same when I went to the final with Bolton in 2004. We didn’t get a full house for that semi-final either. You have to remember these are extra games in a season and ­people can’t always afford to do it.”

Carling CupBlackburn RoversSam AllardyceAston VillaPaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk