ROVERS striker Matt Derbyshire has called on scouts to trawl the non-league to uncover more hidden gems.

The 21-year-old sensation was plucked from Great Harwood Town in the North West Counties League Second Division, where he was blazing a trail at the top of the scoring charts, embarrassing players twice his age.

And he has proved a similarly big hit after making the huge step-up to the Premiership with his boyhood heroes, who are nine rungs higher up the football ladder than the level Harwood used to play at.

But as clubs continue to scour the continent for cheaper players, he has urged them to pay more attention to the lower leagues, where top quality players are turning out week after week.

He said: "There's a lot of great talent in non-league football.

"Scouts should be out there all the time and I think they should be working a lot harder to get themselves to those games as well as scouting the reserve teams from the Premiership and the Championship."

Derbyshire isn't the only player to be plucked from non-league football in recent years; Accrington Stanley have picked up Andy Procter from Great Harwood Town, Ian Craney at Altrincham, and Paul Mullin from Clitheroe.

Former Reds striker Gary Roberts was signed from Welshpool and has gone on to play for Ipswich Town.

And former Clitheroe striker James Dean is currently turning out for Bury.

Derbyshire added: "You get the lads who have five or six pints the night before a game and you get the others that are in their bed by nine o'clock, preparing themselves properly.

"These are the lads that want to better themselves in the game.

"There's a good mixture. But I think if the scouts do go further down the league, then I don't think they'll be surprised if they find a couple of good players. "

Derbyshire is expected to start for England Under-21's tonight when they travel to Montenegro.