EWOOD new-boy Jonathan Stead will aim to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero after finally completing a dream move to Blackburn Rovers.

The 20-year-old striker, who joined Blackburn from Huddersfield last night in a deal which could eventually be worth more than £1 million, grew up worshipping former Ewood favourite Mark Hughes.

And now he has the chance to emulate his idol by pulling on the famous blue and white shirt and scoring the goals to save Rovers from relegation to the Nationwide League.

"I used to love Ian Wright and Mark Hughes. Those were the players I always wanted to be when I was growing up and now I can't believe I've been given my chance in the Premiership," said Stead.

"This is a great move for me and one which I simply couldn't turn down.

"It's every schoolboy's dream to play in the Premier League and I can't wait to get started."

Souness finally got his man yesterday after several days of frantic negotiations.

And the former Terrier, who was the Third Division's second leading scorer, is ready to seize his big chance with both hands when it comes in the next few weeks.

"It's been a very hectic couple of days," said Stead.

"It all seemed to be thrown together at the last minute. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't really know.

"But the end result is I'm delighted to sign for Blackburn Rovers and I'll be doing my utmost to get them up the Premiership and back to where they should be as quickly as possible.

"I honestly don't think we'll end up in a relegation battle. The talent which is at this club is as good as any and we are more than capable of finishing in mid-table or even the top half, I'm sure of that."

Stead was at Ewood on Sunday to watch his new team-mates in action against Chelsea and the whole experience whetted his appetite for the challenges which lie ahead.

He knows it's going to be difficult to bridge the gulf in class between the Third Division and the Premiership.

But he has made great strides during the last 12 months and he remains supremely confident in his own ability -- a quality which should serve him well as he gets used to rubbing shoulders with household names like Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke on a daily basis.

"I've improved a lot over the last 12 months but I'm sure that will be nothing compared to what will happen in these surroundings," said Stead.

"I'm sure working with the players around me will help to bring me on.

"I'm a player who works hard for the team and hopefully one who sticks the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis.

"That's what a striker needs to do.

"I've been doing well in that respect in the Third Division but there's a massive step up in standard between that and the Premiership.

"Only time will tell if that step is the right one. I'm sure it will be and I've got to be confident it will be. But I won't know for sure until I cross that white line."