MATT Blackey would be excused for plunging into the depths of despair after losing his hard-earned European Tour card.

But the 32-year-old Hayling Islander, who has made his home in Southampton, is staying stoically positive for Final Tour School at San Roque on November 11.

The reason?

Blackey rediscovered some of the missing magic in his last European Tour event of the season.

He says: "The biggest disappointment for me this year has not being able to get myself into contention for anything.

"I've probably made more cuts than ever before but instead of making a move over the weekend, I've stood still or gone backwards.

"It's hard to figure out why it's happened because overall I've been playing pretty solidly all through the year. But I haven't been holing so many putts and that's probably why I'm having to go back to Tour School.

"But I'll be going out there on the back of one of my best rounds of the season - the third at the Madrid Open last week where everything came together for a 66.

"I followed up with a pretty good last round to finish just outside the top 30. Apart from a couple of 11th places early in the season, that's as good as it's got for me.

"But at least I can take that to Tour School with me. It's been a frustrating season, but if I can go on and finish high up in Tour School I would still feel I have accomplished something."

The Marriott Meon Valley tournament professional finished 129th in the Volvo Order of Merit after earning 121,000 euro in 2004 and even if he were to miss out on the top-35 finish he needs after six rounds in San Roque to regain his card, he would still get around a dozen starts on the main tour next year.

But that's the worse-case scenario. Blackey has some dark memories of too many near misses at Final Tour School, but what sustains him now is the knowledge that he has become older, wiser and, most important, a better player.

When he last regained his card in 2002 it was on the back of two Challenge Tour wins, which lifted him to third in the order of merit. "When I learned to compete and win, my game went to a another level and last year I felt pretty comfortable on the main tour," says Blackey.

"This year has been a big disappointment, but I'll put all that behind me with a good performance at Tour School and start the 2005 season with a clean slate."