A GOOD week for Blackburn Rovers’ youth set-up could get even better today if Jack Doyle follows in the footsteps of Connor Mahoney and makes his league debut.

But Rovers Under-21 lead coach Damien Johnson is determined to guide more youngsters through what he calls the club’s ‘finishing school’.

And there are high hopes that will be the case given the group of players Johnson and his assistant David Dunn have inherited and are now nurturing at Brockhall.

Twenty-four hours before Mahoney was handed his big break in the senior side’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, his Rovers U21 team-mates were drawing 2-2 at home to Aston Villa.

While Johnson was disappointed with the performance, and while it ended a four-match winning run, the result was enough to secure the club’s place in the U21 Premier League Division Two play-offs.

Rovers will travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal on Tuesday week knowing victory would leave them one further win away from a place in the top-flight of English development football.

Should they beat the Gunners, and then either Swansea City or Villa in the final, it would be represent an achievement to be proud of especially considering their age.

With Mahoney and Doyle away with the first team, 12 of the 16 players selected for the Leigh Sports Village clash with Villa on Monday night were members of the Rovers U18 squad which reached the semi-finals of this season’s FA Youth Cup.

Under the watchful eye of Eric Kinder, those largely locally-based, tight-knit band of players have risen through the club’s ranks together.

They will form the bedrock of next season’s U21 squad with the view of following in the footsteps of Darragh Lenihan, Mahoney and, as is looking likely, Doyle, too.

“David and myself have just spoken to the players about our disappointment of Monday’s performance,” said Johnson, who was promoted to the role of U21 boss last summer after Kinder was appointed as the club’s head of academy.

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“That’s testament to the group. They’ve set themselves such high standards and we know how good they can be. When they fall below that we’re going to let them know because that’s our job.

“We’ll hold them to those high standards. They’re not going to get it easy from us as it’s not just about results. Ultimately we want them knocking on the manager’s door and impressing him and the first-team staff.

“But in saying that it’s been a terrific first season for myself. It’s a great group to work with, there’s some terrific lads, and to finish in the top five was a nice way to end.

“Eric has done a terrific job since he’s come in. David and I have been fortunate. We’ve inherited a good group. Good work has been done beforehand and they’re good kids.

“They’re keen to learn, keen to get better, keen to improve, but ultimately it’s going to be down to them how much it means to them and how much they want to sacrifice.  We’ll help them in every way we can.

“You can class the U21 stage as the last bit, almost like a finishing school, so we’ve got to prepare them for all kinds of scenarios; how to win a game, how to see a game out, how to start a game, or if you go down to 10 men, how you manage with that, or how you play against 10 men.

“The only surprise for them when they make that step up should be the crowd. It’s the one thing we can’t replicate at U21 level. Everything else we should be preparing them for.

“And the great thing about this club is that it has always had a pathway. David and I are really lucky that we’ve got a manager who has been terrific and a management staff who have taken a real interest in the U21s.

“They’ve been prepared to give youngsters an opportunity, which not many are.”

Rovers first-team boss Lambert has made midfielder Lenihan one of the first names on his team-sheet and has indicated that left-back Doyle, like winger Mahoney, will also be given a chance to impress in today’s Championship encounter with Bristol City at Ewood Park.

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Johnson and Dunn are themselves graduates of the club’s academy where their development was aided by two men now on Lambert’s coaching staff.

“As good as it was to finish fifth and get into the play-offs, ultimately if we can get one or two the first team, that’s what our goal is,” said Johnson who, along with Dunn, was at the City Ground to watch Mahoney’s league debut.

“We hope Connor can kick on and make a lot of starts and become a real asset for the club – and we hope there’s a couple who could follow him.

“Connor showed the other night he could cope with the level, which was really important. The manager showed great faith in him and he repaid that with a good performance.

“Hopefully he’ll get another opportunity but he’s just got to keep his head down and keep working hard. He’s a great kid who’s shown a terrific attitude and a desperate will to get better.

“He and the other young players are in a really fortunate position. They have two of the best coaches in the country in Alan Irvine and Rob Kelly, who were part of mine and David’s development, and they have a manager who has been terrific with young players.”

Dunn, like Johnson, Irvine and Kelly before him, returned to Rovers in February when he was appointed as the club’s U21 assistant coach.

“David has been terrific for the group,” said Johnson, who like Dunn, was part of the Rovers squad which won promotion to the Premiership 15 years ago.

“Rob and Alan were our youth team coaches so David and I were brought up the same way and we see the game the same way.

“We both love the club, and he’s a good mate, so I was always looking forward to working with him, but it’s been better than I would have thought.

“We’re in a great place to learn ourselves with how open the first team are to help us develop and the interest they have in the group.”