JOHN Filan will at least have something positive to remember the season for - a clean sweep of player-of-the year awards.

The first one he collected came from the Disabled Supporters' Club, quickly followed by the Junior Rovers nomination.

Finally, the top award, for which all supporters can vote, also went to the Australian who has made the number one spot his own despite competition from England international Tim Flowers.

He received the trophy from chairman Robert Coar, after pipping Stephane Henchoz and Jason Wilcox in a tight vote.

ONE major success at Ewood this season has been the transmitting of away games back to Ewood for 'live' screening on the jumbo TV, especially with season-ticket holders being given free admission.

Around 6,500 attended the showing of the match at Southampton, while nearly 10,000 turned out for the game at The Valley against Charlton. No doubt it is a venture which will be repeated if Rovers are involved in important matches next season and particularly where the allocation of away tickets is limited.

NEW coach of Carlton in Australia's NSL is Stuart Munro, the Scottish defender who joined Rovers prior to their promotion season, 1991-92, but saw his Ewood career dogged by injury.

Don Mackay paid Rangers £350,000 for the full back but an ankle injury meant he played only one League game before Kenny Dalglish released him.

He has been in Australia for some time.

THE final game of the club's season takes place at Ewood on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.30 pm) when the under-17s take on Manchester City in the final of the Academy play-offs.

Rovers have put up some outstanding performances after finishing as runners-up to Manchester United in their league section.

Among their victims in the knockout have been United in extra time and Arsenal on penalties - both away.

Academy director Bobby Downes said: "We reached the final of the FA Youth Cup last season and that is a prestigious competition. "But there is a wide range of clubs who enter for that. The Academy is the elite with 34 clubs who are all able to field very good teams. It is an excellent achievement by the boys to reach the final."

The final was originally intended to be played at Maine Road but has been switched to Ewood because of the promotion play-offs.

FOOTBALL training for Junior Rovers members finishes next Friday, May 21, for the summer.

COLIN Hendry collected a championship medal with Rangers last weekend, to go with the English title he helped to win at Ewood.

FANS without tickets should not travel to Newcastle for tomorrow's final game of the season. It is an all-ticket game and there will not be any available on the day.

BURTON O'Brien, the 17-year-old midfielder who joins Rovers this summer along with another St Mirren teenager David McNamee, has been named in the Scottish under-21 squad for a triangular tournament at Inverness at the end of May.

O'Brien will be hoping for his first under-21 start in the games against Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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