ROVERS' young guns hope to begin a trio of wins for the club against Bolton Wanderers tonight in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup.
The Rovers Academy kids take on their Lancashire rivals at Ewood Park in the top cup competition for Under 18s.
And the senior sides follow suit just days later in the fifth round of the FA Cup the Reebok, followed by a league meeting between the teams a week later.
"It would be nice to start off the three games with a win tonight," said academy director Bobby Downs.
But he fired a warning to his young side to play the game, not the occassion.
The FA Youth Cup offers kids their first opportunities to play in a stadium, under floodlights, which can overwhelm some players.
"In the eyes of the players and their families these are big games," said Downs.
"And because of that sometimes you don't do what you do on the pitch every Saturday.
"Because it is played at Ewood it can become a bigger game than it actually is."
Rovers' FA Youth Cup team this season is the youngest -- with the inclusion of one or two players who are still on schoolboy forms -- the club has ever turned out.
Bolton, in contrast, will play a relatively experienced side, full of confidence after a good win over Sheffield Wednesday in the last round.
Rovers have beaten Northampton and Colchester on the way to the fifth round, and their Under 17 and Under 19 sides have already beaten Bolton this season.
But that will have no bearing on tonight's game, said Downs.
"The Youth Cup side is different to the Under 17s or Under 19s," he said. "This is an Under 18s side, just for the FA Youth Cup.
"We are putting out a young side this year, and I think it may be younger than the one Bolton will play."
The young players on show could be the Rovers stars of the future, but Downs refuses to single out any one player as a 'one to watch'.
"It is unfair on the kids," he said, "It wouldn't be right to put that kind of unnecessary pressure on a player."
Tonights game will be free of charge to children under the age of 16, and Rovers season ticket holders. Adults without season tickets will be charged £3. Kick off is at 7pm.
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