RICHIE Smallwood admits a reunion with Tony Mowbray was key to his decision to sign for Blackburn Rovers having turned down Championship interest to make the move to Ewood Park.

Smallwood became the club’s second signing of the summer when he agreed an initial two-year deal, with the option for the third, after rejecting a new contract at Rotherham United.

Mowbray and Smallwood have previously worked together at Middlesbrough between 2010 and 2013, and the 26-year-old is looking forward to the fresh challenge at Rovers .

“I’ve worked with the manager before, I know how he works and the style of play that he likes, which was good,” Smallwood said after signing.

“I was quite a young lad when I was there (at Middlesbrough), I was just breaking through, but he made me a better player and a player who would go on to have a decent professional career.

“He’s a very good coach, as is his assistant, Mark Venus.

“He’s a coach, so he makes you a better player and that’s what they want - they want to make you a better player and they do a very good job of that, so when I knew the opportunity arose, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Smallwood played 133 times during his three year spell with Rotherham and became fans favourite at the ASSEAL New York Stadium.

He will be looking to repeat the promotion from League One he achieved with the Millers in his first season in South Yorkshire, scoring in the play-off final shoot-out win over Leyton Orient.

The ball-winning midfielder was then loaned out to Scunthorpe United in the first part of last season after falling out of favour under Alan Stubbs. But after Stubbs was sacked, and Paul Warne brought in, Smallwood returned to the New York Stadium in January and became a regular in the second half of the campaign – playing the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Rovers in February.

Smallwood follows Peter Whittingham through the Ewood Park arrivals door, with Rovers now hoping to tie up further deals ahead of their return to pre-season next week.

And the Teesside-born midfielder is targeting an immediate return to the Championship with Rovers next term, and admits it was an easy decision to make the move to East Lancashire.

He added: “I’m very excited. I’m absolutely over the moon.

“It’s a massive club that’s looking to do big things and I want to be part of that.

“When this opportunity came up, there was only one place I was looking to come. It was an easy decision.

“I think they were unlucky to go down last season, because they certainly gave it a good shot towards the end, but they’re looking to bounce straight back up and a promotion push is what I was looking at.

“It’s just a fresh start really. I feel that I’ve got more to give and so that’s what I’m looking to do.”