As Blackburn Rovers prepare to travel to Norwich City, it marks almost a year since a sliding doors moment for Joe Rankin-Costello at Carrow Road.

Jon Dahl Tomasson brought the 24-year-old back from the cold, having not featured for three months. It's easy to be overdramatic in football but his time at Ewood Park looked to be over.

The academy graduate hadn't been seen in the Championship since August 27 after being hooked at half-time after a poor first half. He had to wait nearly four months for his next chance.

Rankin-Costello had been loan-listed ahead of the January transfer window but injury to Callum Brittain and Hayden Carter gave him one last chance to impress. He had to grab it and he did.

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Since then, he hasn't looked back. He finished last season as runner-up in the Player of the Year vote, signed a new long-term deal in the summer and has now transitioned to a box-to-box midfield under Tomasson.

Rankin-Costello didn't even see the game at Norwich as a chance to impress. He was resigned to leaving and playing with no pressure gave him the confidence to perform.

"I thought it was already done," Rankin-Costello admitted, reflecting on that game 11 months ago. "I thought I was going out no matter what.

"I thought I'd be in for one game and then waiting for the boys to get back fit and then going out in January. I was playing with no pressure and that was probably the difference.

"I don't look on social media so I watched my clips back and I thought I had an alright game. It's probably my biggest game. 

"I marked Sargent that day and I think I did a good job and dealt with him well."

Since, Rankin-Costello hasn't looked back. He's earned the trust of Tomasson, who has started him in almost every match since.

Even when he was out of the side earlier in the season because of Brittain's great form, he found a way back in his new midfield role. 

The Rovers head coach has been described as a 'perfectionist' and has huge expectations for his players. JRC admits it can be tough to meet those standards but it brings the best out of the players.
"He's very demanding and it can be tough sometimes," he said. "That's what you want from a manager at the end of the day.

"He's got the best out of me and it's down to yourself as well. I'd say I've got the best out of myself as well.

"It's totally different to Mowbray, he's a great manager and a great coach. He's a perfectionist and he's tried to implement that onto us."

Rankin-Costello has started the last three Championship games in central midfield in what looks like a natural shift. In his academy days, that is where you'd find him as he broke through the ranks.

In Tomasson's 3-2-5 build-up shape, he's a perfect fit for one of the box-crashing number eights. Consistency is the key for him as he gets used to playing in the middle more regularly. 

In a team that needs goal-scorers, Rankin-Costello seems to have a knack of finding space in the box. His two goals against Cardiff and Millwall showed good examples of him latching on to passes and finding the net.

His end product in the final third, even at right-back last year, is what kept him in the side. He wants to continue adding that threat now from a more central area.

"The first three games, QPR, Millwall and Cardiff went well but then last Saturday wasn't as good. Hopefully, I'll be more consistent the more I play.

"It comes naturally to me, as you saw last season when I was coming inside. The more you play, the better you'll become at it.

"I haven't really played there for years, the last time was in the academy really. We have a good squad and everyone is good enough to play in a variety of positions.

"Every time the ball goes out wide, I want to get into the box. It's always been one of my things, even at right-back.

"I want to get into the box, the distances were too long for me sometimes but now it's easier. I enjoy doing that. 

"I don't think you can work on it, you judge where it'll land and sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. Against Cardiff, I had three chances and then Swansea I didn't get any."

So as he prepares to return to Carrow Road, Rankin-Costello is expected to line-up in midfield once more. Norwich have won just one of their last nine games and despite two wins on that ground last year, it won't be an easy game.

"We're aware of their run at the minutes and we hope we get them on a really bad day and us on a good day," he said. "We won there twice last year but it's always been one of the toughest places to go in the league."