Blackburn Rovers Academy prospect, Matty Litherland, is desperate to take the next leap and make his first-team debut.
Litherland is one of the top emerging talents to hail from Brockhall, having been with the club since the age of six. The talented defender has featured regularly on the Rovers bench in the Championship but is still waiting for that first taste of first-team action.
The centre-back is part of an exciting crop in that position, alongside Tom Atcheson and Max Davies. Litherland understands the honour of representing his boyhood club and is as hungry as ever to make it at Ewood Park.
“It’s been great. There have been challenges along the way, but that’s part of the development of making you a better person and player every day," he told " target="_blank" class="link"> RoversTV.
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“It opens your eyes. You can see the standards day in, day out. It’s levels above and something you want to be a part of.
“I’ve not made my debut yet but I’ve been close, I’ve been around it, the hunger’s there and it makes you want it even more.
“It’d be everything for me to play in the first-team. I’m from 10 minutes away from Ewood, I was born in Blackburn and it would be a dream.
“All my mates are Rovers fans, I’ve been here since I was five or six and I’ve not known any different, to be honest. It’s been in my blood, it’s great. I went all over to watch Rovers with my mates and family.
“It’s like a family at the club and it’s been really good for me here. You understand the values of the club and playing for your local team, your team, it’s what you want."
“Some of the lads here, we’ve been together for such a long time and you know each other inside-out," he added.
“They’re the people that have the same memories at you and I think there are three of us now who have experienced what I’ve experienced.
“It’s a tough journey, it really is at times. You see your mates leave at different ages and it’s a different life in football. You get rejected and there are always ups and downs, but that’s all part of the journey.
“Sometimes, you need adversity in life to make you a better person.”
