Blackburn’s rejuvenated rejects target promotion and FA Cup progress

B lackburn Rovers have come a long way from the big-spending days and 1995 Premier League title under the ownership of Jack Walker. They have needed to adapt to their position in the north-west’s football ecosystem because they are no longer challenging for honours at the top of the pyramid.

The last time Blackburn played in an FA Cup quarter-final, in 2007, Hayden Carter was at Manchester City – the club they beat that day – albeit in the under-sevens. The defender was released at 13 and was signed by Blackburn, where he has been joined by a number of teammates who went through similar rejection at Premier League clubs. They hope the next stage of their journey will be a Wembley semi-final, the reward if they win at Sheffield United on Sunday.

Rovers’ facilities and setup attract youngsters from farther afield. Lewis Travis arrived after time with Liverpool in his mid-teens, Joe Rankin-Costello from Manchester United and Tyrhys Dolan played for Manchester City, Preston and Burnley before joining in his late teens.

“I don’t think City helped me at all,” Carter says of his departure from the club he joined aged five. “I was doing one-to-one training with a guy who knows a few people, so he spoke to different clubs.” Blackburn took him before the end of a six-week trial. “It was tough to leave City because that was all I’ve known and when you are a kid, when you are comfortable, you are happy,” he says. “As soon as I came here, it was a category one academy and that is what people look for when they are young, playing at the better academies in the country. That is why I decided to come here when I left City and I’m glad I did.”

At City, Carter was in the same youth team as Phil Foden. “He was decent but I wouldn’t say