ROVERS loanee goalkeeper Jason Steele is loving learning from former England international Paul Robinson every day.

Steele joined the club on a season long loan deal from Middlesbrough on September 1 and displaced Robinson in the starting line-up for the 1-0 win at Fulham three weeks later after the latter suffered a knee injury.

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The former England Under 21 international has kept his place in the side since then, keeping three clean sheets as Rovers have taken 12 points from their last seven games.

But while he might have taken Robinson’s place between the sticks, Steele is delighted to be able to learn from someone with the experience of the former England stopper.

“I knew when I was signing that it was going to be a challenge to get into the team and that I would have the privilege of working with him daily and that’s what we’re doing,” said Steele.

Robinson, 35, has played 202 games for Rovers since joining from Tottenham Hotspur for £3.5million in the summer of 2008, but despite being 11 years his junior, Steele has already racked up 151 Football League starts, as well as 11 more in the FA Cup and League Cup.

Robinson has been capped 41 times for England, although he hasn’t featured for the Three Lions since a 2-1 defeat in Russia in European Championship qualifying in October 2007 during Steve McLaren’s ill-fated reign.

But that kind of international experience is something that Steele, who has represented England at U16, U17, U19 and U21 level, is keen to use to help him develop his own game.

“Hopefully I can keep learning off him and keep progressing because he’s had a fantastic career and I would be stupid not to be trying to learn off him.

“Generally at a football club it’s more banter-related stuff and you don’t really get time to pick people’s brains because they’ve got families to go to but I can only say nice things about Paul because he’s been first class since I came to the club.”

Having played 53 times for Boro in all competitions in the 2012/13 season, Steele lost his place in the side after being sent-off at Leeds last November, and played just one game between then and his start at Fulham on September 20.

He is delighted to be back playing regular first-team football for Rovers, and is keen to enjoy his time in the game now after a traumatic ten months when he was frozen out by Boro boss Aitor Karanka.

“I think I went more or less nearly a year without playing proper football week in, week out,” said Steele, “it’s took a year and now hopefully I am getting into the swing of things I can show my performances are coming together and keep playing and keep enjoying it, because I think one thing I’m trying to get out of it more is enjoyment because I went a year without playing much football and it’s hard to take.”

Steele has certainly made the most of his chance in East Lancashire, and he pulled off a superb double save from Henri Lansbury last weekend when the score was still 1-1 at the City Ground, with Rovers going on to take all three points in a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

“I’m really pleased to have made a couple of saves and helped the team get three points,” he said, “we’re fully focused on making sure we build on that now. We’ve had a great week with seven points from three tough games and hopefully it can carry on.”