Celebrating 700 consecutive league games featuring a Rovers Academy player

The 1-0 win over Hull City at the MKM Stadium marked the 700th consecutive league featuring a Blackburn Rovers Academy product in the matchday squad.
We spoke about this remarkable achievement with academy graduates David Dunn, Lewis Travis, Scott Wharton, Hayden Carter, John Buckley, Joe Rankin-Costello, plus John Eustace (First-Team Head Coach), Paul Gray (Rovers Academy Manager), Darragh Tuffy (U18s Coach).

for me I think it’s an integral part of the football club um I think over the years it’s shown that um it’s where really really talented boys come from um it’s fed into the first team for a number of years um but there’s also lots of really good people come out of of blackb Rovers Academy and for the community uh here in Lano I think it’s a really important part football club I just think it’s a it’s a really good really good place for a young player to be and you know the biggest factor in in any youth youth teamsmy I think you’ve got to have managers historically that are prepared to put the lads in the team and I think if you have a really good solid foundation of an academy uh in a football club and then you pair that with managers that are prepared to give young players a chance I think you have a really good really good makeup it’s that pathway through to the first team which is has generally been quite clear to see because you can see it every Saturday when you look at the team sheet so you know that is a huge draw and a huge cell and and and ultimately we’ve a proven track record of of players progressing all the way through our system and having really good careers in the game it’s an incredible achievement I think it’s something that can’t be taken too lightly to to keep producing these players over and over again who have the ability and the quality to go on and have a career whether it’s in Blackman’s first team or somewhere else I think that’s Testament to the club Testament to how they’ve adapted over the years and and and and not stalled you know football moves quickly um and I think Blackburn is is a club that that really does that well where they can you know adapt with the times adapt with the way the game’s going and and ultimately it’s it’s an incredible achievement and one that should be really proud of yeah I’ve always known about it obviously even coming through you know myself you know playing against the players coming through the academy uh and playing in the first team when I was playing you know it was all very evident to see and then the play coming in um as the head coach you know seeing the development of bucko and Joe Costello them kind of players you know it’s it’s fantastic and and this club’s all about producing their own players and the history is there for everyone to see and um you know it’s it’s um it’s something that we should all be very proud of and uh it’s something that we’ve got to continue doing obviously um we are a category one Academy um so we’re the the highest highest tier of Academy in in English football but I think probably the the key to success is um we surrounded by some some huge football clubs the two Manchester clubs the two Liverpool clubs um but we haven’t maybe got the money that those huge clubs have got and so we have to do things a little bit differently um we’re um real family orientated Club real family orientated Academy um we probably have a smaller team of Staff than some of those huge clubs and and I think that’s kind of created like a an Optimum level of um success for us because um everyone knows each other we’re really tight-knit team of of Academy staff um I think that’s really really helped with with the success but obviously still getting all those benefits of being a cat one club The Unbelievable games program um you know the the level of opposition that we play week in week out so I yeah I think it the mix of the those two things not being too big um but also having the level of resource has kind of created that success for us really back in the day you know from Jim Fel Rob Kelly Bobby DS you know all the all the youth coaches at the at the time you know I think that the environment that we that that was created for us and we and we created us for ourselves was was Second To None really um and I think that sh you know for for the amount of Academy players and the and the the F for for for a club like you know Blackburn for our club to to get to the um to the U Cup finals on on a few occasions you know speaks volumes really and again the amount of players that the club have brought through the system is is a real credit not just to the lads themselves for for obviously getting there themselves but for all the youth coaches that have that have played a part in their uh in their you know careers to get to get to that point I think back to when I was a yeah 15-year-old boy in living in Ireland and and the big draw was my my parents felt the the warmth when we came to the club you know the the lodge being on site and and the boys and the family fa was what really Drew us to Blackburn over other clubs that we were going to at the time and um yeah went the warmth of of the staff and and you know the lik of Dawn and Donna and you know when they came in they felt welcomed and not as not not sterile like maybe some places May feel and very corporate very family feel and that was a real big draw which which I’m pretty sure you know still exists now and and we work hard to sort of keep yeah it’s massive massive for the young players to to to feel that love feel that support from from the people around them from the fans and um you know fans love to see that they love to see young players coming through love to see that they wearing the shirt with pride and um you know you can see the energy that that that Fe that feeds off from the crowd and and the player himself so um yeah it was no different from from when I did it you know I could feel that energy and that support and and and it’s obviously continued because you continue to to bring players through and and and shine in the first team well I was obviously I was a Blackburn fan growing up anyway and my mom and dad were huge fans and used to come to every game home and away so for me to sort of transition through the younger younger age groups in the academy and then actually make my debut in the first team was you know a dream come true you know I support Blackburn I’ve I always followed Blackburn even when I I moved on to United and always looking out for the scores and the players and the signings and stuff so listen it gave me an unbelievable platform to go on and have a good career um you know I’m very grateful and thankful for that I don’t think some people think the amount of times like you train every week how many times I’ve come over the last 10 years to this to brocko to train week in week out it’s a beit loads um and then you’ve got all the other people helping you sort of the gym based stuff physios analysts nutrition all the people in the office receptions um it’s a big sort of process and there’s a lot of stuff going on in the background to sort of give you the best chance to try and make it as a footballer and um yeah I couldn’t speak highly enough of Blackburn and the academy uh I think it’s a really good Academy for for youngsters coming through and uh yeah it’s a a good environment definitely listen I don’t think there’s any real major secret I think at the end of the day it’s about can we recruit the best possible boys uh can we have them in our system for as long as possible you know the likes of a John Bley and Adam Wharton or them you know they were in our system at six years old you know that’s the dream can we get them from six all the way through to first team but if not can we uh bring bring the best talent into our system at any point along the way and then when they’re in our system it’s like I said before it’s about uh giving them the best possible support we can with where whether it’s coaching whether it’s life skills education to make them the best possible young man we we can at the end and and then hopefully that’s enough that they can have a brilliant career in the game hopefully here or somewhere else yeah I think it’s unheard of really um obviously the club’s really good at bringing Academy products through a system um and for doing it for so long it shows especially for young Lads up is a great opportunity to progress through the through the system um obviously quite a few in the in the squad at the moment um so it’s yeah really good for the club obviously everyone works works really hard um like I said I’ve seen a lot of coaches come and go as well but the hour the put in um like seeing Dar up here this morning he was my under 14s and under 15s coach so and he’s still there trying to help the younger groups um so it’s definitely everyone obviously puts a work in U even receptionist people like that down the bottom and up here as well for me coming through the Academy I felt like there was there was no Egos and uh they do very well to keep us grounded and uh that shows us in our performances really cuz you can never fault us for effort it’s and that’s what the academy does yeah obviously I I come in when I was 15 uh I’d got released and it was a fresh start I’ve loved every minute of it there and um obviously Trav Booker Scotty were all around my age and played for them through the played with them through the academy um it’s just nice to see everyone doing well and doing all right for themselves yeah it’s really good I think it’s a amazing place to be you you’re here and you can get opportunities if you perform really and some of the big teams maybe you’ll never ever see a um you’ll never see a a game on the grass but here it gives you the platform that you can go play well and um getting the first team it gives you a pathway black better give you a pathway cuz like I said I think it’s 700 700 consecutive uh games and Academy players been played in so we do rely on the academy sometimes so it just gives you a massive platform there to go and play well all the fans like one of our own coming through which is rightly so to be honest but uh yeah I come come with an age where a few of us made it into the first team which is fantastic to see obviously playing with your friends now you’re playing with your friends on the um eward park I think the link to the to the first team obviously makes it makes it an appealing place to come yeah like you said 700 games that I don’t know how many years that is but if young young Lads wanting to to get first team football know about that record the one are going to they’re going to want to come here just the the whole environment the people um everything it’s a it’s a special place to come through I remember my debut I I got there and it was I didn’t know I was actually starting and I was I was breaking myself uh yeah but no the the feeling after it you know you know you’ve you’ve done well you’ve you’ve made it to that point and it just makes you makes you want more and to continue playing my debut wasn’t a the most memorable one out there you know to be to be put on as a sub and then and be subbed off because of a sending off wasn’t great but um you know my full debut for instance anfield away I mean not many bigger than bigger than them in terms of full debuts but just the the the you know the journey there that you know you take on and not only that as a local lad as well and I think we’re you know for me to to come through my local team I went to school down the road I was born in Blackburn grew up in great Hardward to for me to to get in the first team and and go on that journey I just felt that you know the connection you have with the supporters is a is a huge thing as well you know so I’m really grateful for for all that as well no words can’t really describe how how important my time at Blackburn was um you know I remember all my coaches I remember the the days and the games and the ups and the downs and the Peaks and the troughs and um I always had that Network around me here um to pick me up when I needed to and and and to to praise me when when I needed to and I had everything here and and and to like I said to to play and make my D for the first team and play a big part for for a couple of Seasons here for for in the Premier League was was an incredible moment and feeling that you know I’ll never forget the feeling is is unbelievable and everyone here is is so proud and and and and get such a buzz when when a boy makes his debut and and then when they continue to to play in the first team um it’s like you know it’s a really proud moment for everyone and um I think it it really is a a team effort everybody’s involved if if if we haven’t got everyone all pushing in in the right direction it’s not going to be possible to get them them boys through so yeah it’s a proud moment for everyone and and everyone really does does feel it that’s that’s all why we do the job to be honest in terms of is there pressure to do it yeah I guess there is because ultimately if if the academy is not producing players then ultimately we’re not doing what we we aiming to do so uh luckily we’ve obviously had a real strong tradition in in bringing boys through to the first team and a lot of appearances and and and Squad inclusion so you know hopefully we can continue in that in that vein really yeah I’m I’m lucky I’m real really fortunate to have to have known Jack and and what he felt about the academy so um you know the way the club’s carried that on you know I think it’s it’s a massive part of the club you know both both to create you know and produce all the players but also like the financial aspect of of being able to to sell certain players for a lot of money that that can be you know reinvested back into the academy and the club to to you know to keep it going and and keep Blackman Rovers um a really good solid club that keeps producing these players time and time again it’s not luck it’s um it’s a lot of hard work from everyone that works here for it to be a 700 game it’s a really big achievement for a club and I don’t think it should be underestimated especially like the efl things like that I think it’s a big thing yeah it makes me extremely proud to be a part of this club um yeah it’s just just an amazing place to play football and to know I’ve been there for so long long it it means a lot to me yeah it’s an unbelievable achievement it shows the amount of talent that the academy are bringing through um because it’s not easy to to get into a first team squad um never mind to to have 700 with someone from their own Academy in it um I think it just shows how how good the academy is and and that pathway to the first team and how good it can be for any any young player I think it’s massively important and I think especially well I believe this when when you come through an academy you play you play for the badge as well you’re not just playing for yourself so um I believe that Blackburn gave him a chance so that’s that’s why I play play everything everything for the badge definitely here at Blackburn I think you’ve got that chance to go from 16 18 football Reserve football to the first team um and I think it’s probably better than maybe other clubs um but no it’s uh a good Academy to be out definitely It’s a Wonderful Club it’s a great family Club um and and and like I said they’re renowned for producing good players and and and they continue to do that throughout the years and um you know that’s why you see a lot of Academy graduates making making the first team debut we’ve just got to keep believing in in what we do we’ve got to keep um selling what we do um you know like I said before we’re we’re um a family orientated club we really look after um the boys we really look after their families and we’ve just got to keep showing people that there’s a pathway into our first team keep this run of games going on of Academy graduates in the squad and yeah I think um just selling what we’re really really good at and I think that will continue well it works that’s the biggest thing it’s actually you know you know the history has has has shown us that this Academy produ his players for our first team so you know we have to keep that going