According to an extract from the early minutes - published in a programme dated 9th November 1909 - a meeting held on the 9th November 1875 states the following: 4. That the colours be : White jersey, blue and white skull cap, trousers optional. Proposed by H. Greenwood. Seconded by R. Higson. a meeting held on the 15th November 1875 states the following: 1. That a Maltese cross be on the left breast in blue. Proposed by W. Baguley. Seconded by A. Constantine. At the second meeting it is noted that a total of 15 caps were to be ordered. Of course, this is all so long ago and, sadly, the original minutes are no longer around to confirm any of this.

I've watched Duru quite a bit over the last few seasons and he looks a really good prospect. He did well at Barrow until injury ended his season early. He's really quick, tackles well and isn't afraid to have a pop at goal. He's much much in the modern full-back mould. You never know with youngsters, but he's definitely one of our better prospects.

During the sixty-odd years I've supported the club we have always blooded youngsters and given them opportunities at first team level - it's nothing new. It's also nothing new for us to sell our better youngsters - Pickering, England, Byrom, Newton in the sixties - Bradshaw, Hird, Bailey in the seventies - Barker in the eighties. These days, when managers want to rotate players on a regular basis you have to have a batch of youngsters who can come into the first team. I believe that the likes of Litherland, Duru, Powell and Montgomery show enough promise at this stage in their careers to be given the chance. At the end of the day if the club isn't prepared to put it's trust in the players the Academy produces then what's the point in spending £3m a year on a Cat 1 Academy?

I believe Powell was not signed by the manager at Altrincham, which might explain why he didn't get picked. Wharton was thrust into the team when many might have thought he wasn't ready but he quickly found his feet. Similarly, players like Faz, Phil Jones etc were all given opportunities earlier than expected. Montgomery hasn't looked out of place - even though not playing in his own position. Players like Litherland and Powell have looked excellent this season. We won't know if they are good enough until we see what they can do at this level.

Really pleased to see Litherland and Powell, in particular, sign extend contracts with the club. Two lads who have made huge progress this season and hopefully, will be part of the senior squad next season. It can only be good news that the best of our youngsters are given the time to develop with the club.

My first game was 19th August 1961. The season opener against Cardiff City at Ewood which ended in a 0-0 draw. Fred Else, Ian Lawther and Joe Haverty made their debuts for Rovers whilst the Cardiff team included Barrie Hole - a player who would become one of my all time favourites when he moved to Ewood Park in 1966.

A season of ups and downs like the majority of the sixty odd seasons I've watched Rovers. I would have been ecstatic if someone had offered seventh at the start of the season after last year's fight against relegation. In the main, it's another season that I've enjoyed following the team up and down the country with friends. Health issues meant I missed an number of away games before Christmas and only emphasised how much I miss not being at games. It's been a privilege to see young Dolan grow into the player he has now become and I fear we are going to miss him far more than many believe. In the main, it's been I season I've thoroughly enjoyed. I've seen some really good games at all levels with some of the under-21's catching the eye at times. Like every campaign one can look back and think if only we'd won here or there but that's football. In many ways I think we have overachieved this season with the squad that we have. Eustace got every last drop out of the players and Ismael, once he and the players got on the same wavelength, has done the same - which is encouraging for the future. The summer, like every close season, will see players come and go, and the pre-season will see some youngsters given the chance to step up. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the play-offs there is still much to be encouraged about the future for our club.

Excellent interview from Yasir. Open, honest and positive in many ways. A timely reminder that there are a number of really genuine and hardworking folk at Ewood like Yasir.

Remember doing Orient as the first game of the 75-76 season. Rovers ran a train direct from Blackburn to a Station near the ground. Can't believe it's 50 years ago!

Man for man the best team I've seen in my time watching Rovers. This team had everything you could want from a football team. Each player brought something different and yet combined so well. These were the 'entertainers' for me.

Another encouraging display from a team which seems to have found their confidence once again. Defensively we looked good and battled to protect the lead that Dolan gave us. Sanderson came on and looked a proper old fashioned defender - no fancy football from him - get the ball as far away from your own penalty area as quickly as possible to relieve the pressure. I thought Woodrow had his best game for us and was involved in creating our goal. Not sure I would want to sign him but in fairness, he was pretty decent today. Tronstad and Travis were at their battling best in midfield whilst Dolan and Yuki never stopped running, chasing and tackling. Dolan is going to be a huge loss as he is playing out his skin at the moment. For me, he has been a major asset to this club and I suspect he will be very difficult to replace on a limited budget. Finally, I have to say that Sunderland's tribute to the late Carlton Fairweather and the way it was done should be a lesson to Rovers. I only hope Mick McGrath gets a similar tribute on Saturday.

Those of us travelling up to Sunderland do.

And more than happy to have done so.

Really sad news. A great favourite of mine as a kid. He always had time to stop and sign autographs to the kids outside the players entrance both before and after games. That half-back line of Clayton, Woods and McGrath picked itself year in and year out. He was a tough tackling half-back who combined his ball winning skills with a shrewd positional sense - one of those players who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He didn't score many goals but they were often important ones - the equaliser at Burnley in that classic F.A. Cup-tie on the road to the 1960 Final. An Irish international and one of football's true gentlemen. RIP Mick.

To be fair, prior to play-offs being introduced and in the days of two up and two down - which I remember so well - most games were what you might call 'dead rubbers' from January on. I've seen so many seasons when mid-table in January usually meant you weren't going up and you weren't going down. Nobody really looked upon these games as dead rubbers. They were league games and impacted on a final league position and so were treated seriously by all concerned. Out of the 92 league clubs, only a handful actually win anything at the end of the season. For most mid-table of one sort or another is how a season ends.