Rovers Under-21s captain Pat Gamble feels his hard work has been rewarded after landing a new contract.

Gamble was handed a one-year deal, with a 12-month option, when turning professional last summer.

Yet a string of consistent displays at the heart of the Under-21s’ defence has seen him handed a long-term deal.

Gamble is now under contract until 2025, with the option for a further 12 months, achieving an aim that he set himself last summer.

He played over 30 times in all competitions for the Under-21s, including starting 18 of the 26 Premier League 2 matches, more than any other player.

And the 19-year-old said: “I’m very pleased.

“It’s been a big year for me. I’ve done my best to try to get myself the new deal, I’ve really enjoyed this year, with us staying up and getting to a national final, so hopefully I can just kick on again in pre-season and throughout the year.

“Coming in at the start of this season, I wanted to try and get a regular run of games, having been injured the past few years, and I’ve managed to play quite a few games this season, which has been good for me, and I’ve managed to build up a form of consistency, so I think it’s been a good year for myself and hopefully I can do it again next year.”

Gamble was one of three Under-21s players to be offered new deals, and the first to sign, after they achieved Premier League 2 safety and reached the final of the Premier League Cup.

He captained the side in the defeat to Brentford, and regularly wore the armband for Mike Sheron’s side throughout the campaign.

Gamble was part of the squad that travelled to Marbella for the mid-season training camp, and while his route to the first-team currently looks challenging, his focus in on improving all the time.

He added: “Captaining the team has also been a proud moment and a valuable experience for myself. I’m just trying to build up those leadership qualities and get the best out of the lads, as well as myself, so ultimately that will help the team.

“Coming in next season, I just want to try and kick on again, get better, look at different ways that I can improve and hopefully I can push towards the first team.

“Staying up in Premier League 2, as the only Championship club in the division, was a huge achievement.

“Playing against the best teams every week, it makes us better as players, but also being able to represent the club at a higher level, that’s really important for all the lads in the group and that was one of our main aims for the season, so that we can compete against the best players every single weekend.”