IT is sometimes easy to forget how young, certainly in centre-back terms, Grant Hanley is.

Hanley has been an integral member of the Blackburn Rovers backline for four seasons now and the club’s captain since January last year.

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Throw in the fact that he is an established international too, with Scotland, and it is not bad going for someone who does not celebrate his 24th birthday until November.

But, like any player his age, he will make mistakes and Hanley admits he has made some in what he calls an ‘up and down season’ at Ewood Park.

As captain of a club which, according to a poll last week, is the 17th biggest in England, his mistakes are often magnified.

But Hanley accepts that comes with the territory and, such is his pride at leading a club he calls his own after rising through its ranks as a teenager, he would not have it any other way.

“I have to remember I’m still young, I’m only 23, so I’ve still got a lot of learning to do and a lot of football to be played,” said Dumfries-born Hanley, who has made 154 appearances for Rovers, his first coming on the final day of the 2009/10 Premier League season in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa.

“I’ve just got to keep working hard every day to improve and I’ve not got a better opportunity to do that than here because it’s a good club with good people around me with good coaching staff and good lads.

“Do I feel it more being captain?

“In some ways yes and in some ways no.

“But I wouldn’t change it and I wouldn’t want to be one of the lads on the fringes who gets a game every now and again.

“I think you’ve got to put yourself under pressure to improve.

“Like I say, I’m going to make mistakes because I’m young but I can guarantee I’ll be working hard every day to put them right.

“I know what this club is all about because I’ve been here since I was young. I know what it means to the people around the place, I know what it means to the fans.

“It’s a massive club and one, as I’ve said before, I’m proud to play for, never mind captain.

“It’s a great club and the manager has got great people, good staff and good lads.”

But it is also a club that, barring a miraculous finish to the campaign, will start in the Championship for a fourth season running.

Rovers were in the top six at the start of December but back-to-back home defeats before the international break means they will go into Saturday’s Roses clash at Leeds United at least 13 points behind the play-offs with seven games to play.

“At the minute there’s a feeling of disappointment on the back of a couple of defeats but there’s still a lot of football to be played,” said Hanley, who expects to be fit for selection against Leeds after missing the last seven matches with a calf injury.

“And we can guarantee we’ll be very fighting to the very last kick of the season.

“There’s no way we’ll let it fizzle out.

“We’ve had an up and down season.

“We started well, had a bit of form, picked it up again but then we’ve had those defeats.

“I think at the start of the season there was, not pressure, but expectation on us to do well because we finished so strongly last season, but that’s football and if you’re not right at it, it will slap you in the face.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve had a bad season, we’ve had an inconsistent season.

“But I still think we’ve got the quality in the side and I still think we’re one of the better sides in this league.

“But the season’s not over yet, we’re still focused, and we’ll try and finish it strongly and see where we end up.”

The 1-0 home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion 10 days ago was Rovers’ 13th match in seven stamina-sapping weeks.

Their lacklustre performance in the first half was roundly criticised by supporters and even by boss Gary Bowyer who rarely takes his players to task in public.

“I know the first-half performance wasn’t the best but I have to defend the lads a wee bit,” said Hanley.

“I don’t know how many games they’ve played and it’s sometimes hard to get your legs going.

“The games have just kept coming and kept coming and I think you could see that.

“But the lads have got a bit of time off now and a bit of time to recover and get themselves right and ready to finish the season strongly.

“We’ve got Leeds away and what better way to start.”

After the trip to Elland Road comes the little matter of an FA Cup quarter-final replay with Champions League chasers Liverpool on Wednesday, April 8, which is heading for a sell-out.

Hanley has not kicked a ball during Rovers’ thrilling run to the last eight of the competition.

He was rested for the wins over Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and Stoke City and was then sidelined for the magnificent 0-0 draw at Anfield earlier this month.

“I thought the lads were brilliant at Liverpool and a wee bit unlucky that we didn’t nick it,” said Hanley, who is the youngest captain in the Championship.

“Now we’ve got the opportunity to bring them back to Ewood and try and get something out of the game.

“It’s been a while since Liverpool were here and the atmosphere will be really good on the night.

“It would be good to get a full house, too, as it would remind the fans what it used to be like when we used to get the big crowds in.

“But first of all let’s look at Leeds.

“These are the games you want to play in.”