A MAN called Monkey who helped to found Blackburn Rovers more than 100 years ago is starring at another ground these days.

Monkey Hornby -- aka Albert -- was one of the guiding lights who brought football to mill workers in the town in the 19th century.

And one of his descendants, Hugh Hornby, 32, was among hundreds of guests at the National Football Museum in Preston yesterday where Monkey is remembered.

The museum at Deepdale held a donor's day for ordinary members of the public who have donated items or have connections to the items in the collection to have a look round.

Hugh said: "Back then, when mill workers started getting Saturdays as a half day, it was thought Association Football would keep them out of mischief and out of the pubs.

"So Monkey and a friend of his called John Lewis -- who both went to public school -- started up Rovers at Alexandra Meadows, West Park Road, in the 1870s."

John had been to Malvern College where the rugby team wore blue and white halved shirts, and that's where Rovers get their colours today.

Watching the first moving image ever filmed of a football match -- action from a game Monkey played in between the Rovers and West Brom at the new Ewood Park in 1898 -- he said his cousin, who was cruelly nicknamed by fellow pupils at Harrow because of his diminutive stature, and his friends considered they were civilising the workers by giving them football.

Donors from across East Lancashire have given items ranging from cigarette cards from the 1920s to a Burnley programme from 1988 when they met Preston in the northern final of Sherpa Van Trophy, winning the right to go to Wembley with a 3-1 win at Deepdale after the teams drew 0-0 at Turf Moor.

They eventually lost 2-0 to Wolves.

Hugh, who lives near Garstang, said that the rivalry between Rovers and Darwen FC was so great that when the two sides met on The Meadows in November 1880 Fred Hargreaves, Rovers captain, took the precaution of addressing his men to keep the lid on trouble that would not have looked out of place in the 1980s.

Also in the new People's Collection is a letter headed Nelson Football and Athletic Club Ltd from the 1920s offering a player "an appointment" with the above club -- one of the first ever transfers.