Jim fixed it for Jason

REMEMBER Jim'll Fix it?

You know, the TV show where kids and their parents sent letters to Jim, begging him to make their dreams come true.

Jason Wilcox's dad was one such parent.

His son had always dreamed of a career in professional football.

So when Manchester City rejected him as a teenager, he decided to send off a sackful of letters in a bid to make it happen.

One day he got the reply he was waiting for.

Jim had fixed it!

But it wasn't Jimmy Saville...it was Jim Furnell.

"I was coming up to my exams at school when my dad decided to write off to all the North West clubs," said Wilcox.

"He wrote about 30 letters and I got just one reply, from Blackburn.

"I went down for a trial on the Sunday morning, signed on Monday evening, and the following week I was playing in the Youth Cup Final." The fact Wilcox is still there now, more than a decade on, is one of the minor miracles of the modern game.

For a home-grown player to survive five different managers and a host of multi-million pound signings is an achievement in itself.

But when he's had to win over the fans as well, after the boo-boys threatened to wreck his career before it began, it speaks volumes for the character of the man.

In the early 90s, Wilcox would have found it inconceivable to imagine a time when he'd be signing a new five year contract as both Rovers captain and the club's longest serving player.

Life at Ewood was hell for a while and it was only thanks to the loyalty of Kenny Dalglish and Ray Harford he managed to keep his nerve.

"I've had a lot of ups and downs in my career and the crowd did play a part in the down sides sometimes.

"There was only a small section of them but when your a young lad and you're getting booed before a game it's not pleasant.

"I've got a lot of respect for Kenny and Ray for sticking by me because there were times when the crowd were getting at me and my confidence was suffering.

"They kept me on the pitch and I'll never forget that."

One time the pressure did get too much, Wilcox lost his cool for a split second and gestured to the crowd.

But he refused to apologise afterwards, claiming he'd had a raw deal. "My son was in the stand watching and some of the comments they were coming out with were ridiculous.

"But I'm glad I went through it when I was young in a way.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to handle it if it happened now."

These days, the Ewood crowd are more respectful of the 27-year-old's considerable talents.

And as Rovers fight for their lives, that steely resolve which helped Wilcox win over his fiercest critics, is sure to be a vital commodity in the intensity of a relegation scrap.

He's certainly used to throwing his weight around.

As a 14-year-old brought up in Bolton, he was a black belt in Judo and even represented England on one occasion.

But getting shirty with bruising opponents proved damaging to his health and the injuries he regularly picked up threatened to put paid to his footballing career.

He had to make a choice between the two. Luckily, he chose football, although that didn't put a stop to him taking the knocks.

After bursting onto the scene as an 18-year-old nine years ago, he's certainly experienced the highs and lows.

His debut at home to Swindon in 1990 couldn't have got off to a better start as he conjured up a goal for Simon Garner in the first minute.

And when Kenny Dalglish arrived at Ewood a year later it signalled the start of an exciting new era. For some, like Keith Hill, Craig Skinner and Lenny Johnrose, who all graduated from the youth team ranks at the same time, it marked the beginning of the end.

But for Wilcox it proved his making.

Though some sections of the crowd took some convincing, Dalglish had little hesitation in offering him a regular first team shirt.

In the next four years he grew in stature - both as a player and a person.

And it wasn't just on the pitch where he was starting to make an impression.

In the dressing room and around the training ground he forged a reputation as the club joker, keeping the troops amused with an entertaining repertoire of impersonations.

So if you ever hear Bruce Forsyth or Norman Wisdom echoing around the corridors of Ewood then it's a fair bet it's really Wilcox.

By 1995, he had become a vital cog in the championship machine, working in tandem with Stuart Ripley to supply the bullets for Alan Shearer. But as Rovers approached the brink of their finest hour, a cruciate injury prevented the winger from participating in the run-in and he had to watch the drama of that final day unravel itself at Anfield from the dug-out.

"I remember limping onto the pitch in my tracksuit and everyone involved in the game was ecstatic.

"Obviously, I was over the moon that the club had won the Premier League but deep down I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself.

"It was a bit of a funny day really.

"But those four years were unbelievable and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

"To go from a small First Division club to Premier League champions in four years was incredible and I don't think that will ever happen to anyone else again.

"But I think we won the league too early because the foundations weren't there down below."

Wilcox, who now lives in Worsley, soon shrugged off his personal disappointment though, fought his way back to fitness and recaptured the form that made him so vital to Rovers plans.

That attracted the attention of England boss Terry Venables who called him into his squad in the run up to Euro 96. And he was given his chance in a friendly against Hungary where an impressive performance earned him a place on the tour to China.

But when it came to announcing the final squad, his name wasn't on the list.

"All I wanted to do was give Terry a problem.

"I knew I was a real outsider for the squad and I just wanted to make it hard for him to leave me out.

"I don't think Terry expected me to play as well as I did.

"But Hungary aren't a great European nation and I think he took that into consideration."

His England chances have been limited to just one appearance since, when Howard Wilkinson called him into the squad for the recent friendly with France.

That doesn't worry Wilcox, though, who has learned the hard way how to take things in his stride.

During Roy Hodgson's reign as Ewood boss, he found himself in and out of the side and had serious doubts about his future. "We didn't see eye-to-eye a lot of the time and I'm not going to say that I wasn't contemplating my future because I was."

But under Kidd he has enjoyed something of a renaissance, so-much-so that he's likely to be captain for the run in.

And whether the club win their battle against the drop or not, he wants to see out the rest of his career at Ewood after signing a new five year deal recently.

"I read some stories in the nationals which said I'd consider my future if the club went down.

"But I signed my new contract when we were fourth from bottom and I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think things were heading in the right direction."

If he does help keep them up then that's got to be worth a Jim'll Fix it badge in anyone's money.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.