A relationship forged through social media and strengthened in the stadium, there is no taking the smile off Tyrhys Dolan’s face when he talks about his relationship with the Rovers supporters.

The teenager became one of the club’s youngest-ever players to reach 50 appearances when he scored in the weekend win over Cardiff City.

For the second successive home match, the attacker was afforded a standing ovation from the Ewood crowd, with several ‘Dolan 10’ shirts on display.

His rise has been rapid, and unexpected, Dolan having joined when leaving Preston North End after his scholarship came to an end, but quickly forged himself into becoming a Rovers regular.

On his relationship with supporters, Dolan said: “Even when they weren’t in the stadiums, on social media I had such a good relationship and I think it’s just grown this season seeing them in the stands.

“Seeing them on their feet as I came off, as a young player that’s a really big thing for me and making me grow in the game and I can’t thank them enough.

“I remember coming off in the game and I sat down and looked and I saw a few Dolan shirts and I was just smiling to myself because I still can’t believe it.

“That’s all I ever wanted. Me growing up with a players name on the back of my shirt, I just wanted that to be me one day, and seeing it is different to thinking it and it was just a crazy feeling for me.”

Dolan is a regular user of social media platforms Twitter and Instagram, and says that has helped him through a tough time in his life in which close friend Jeremy Wisten took his own life.

“Social media is one of the main things for me. When I was going through a tough time, people who couldn’t see me in person to see how I was doing were checking in with me and seeing how I was which meant a lot,” he added.

“When times are going good, when the fans weren’t there, they were putting good stuff on there which was a big thing for me so for me social media has been really good.

“There’s obviously good and bad, but for me the good has been really important for me.

“You have your days when you don’t feel your greatest but I just think that we’re in such great positions, playing football, there’s no reason to be coming in with a moody face.

“Even if you are and you wake up feeling a bit down, it brings a smile to your face playing football so my mood soon switches.”

Playing with confidence, and a smile on his face, Dolan says that’s when he performs at his best.

“I play a lot better when I’m confident so if I’m happy when I’m going out on the pitch then my performance is sky high,” he explained.

“If I’m enjoying my football then my performances are only going to keep on get better.

“I still feel as though there’s loads more I can give, that I’m not at the top of my game, I’m still young and learning and learning from the forward players here, so I still feel I have a long way to go.”

Unsurprisingly, the mood in the Rovers camp has been high after the weekend win, with Dolan eager for the games to keep coming around.

He said: “The spirits are high in the dressing room, everyone is buzzing, and we’re just looking forward to more games coming up. The mood around the camp is really good.

“We were in the next day, we had the team meeting and you look forward to that knowing that you’ve scored five goals and put on a good performance.

“You want your forward players to score which is what you want, and we picked up a couple of assists as well, which was good.”