AS the young Blackburn Rovers players sat in the visitors’ dressing room at Southampton on Monday night, dejected after going so close to a shock U21s Premier League final success, the gauntlet was immediately thrown down to them.

Proud first-team boss Gary Bowyer had watched their courageous efforts from the stands before heading down into the bowels of St Mary’s Stadium to talk to the starlets he hopes will soon be knocking on his door for a place in the senior Rovers squad.

“I thought it was important I was there to support them and represent the club,” said Bowyer, who was the club’s U18s and reserve team manager before taking over the top Ewood Park job.

“I thought they represented the club ever so well and I can’t help but have a moan about the referee because (at 1-1) it was a penalty and we should have won the thing. But it wasn’t to be.

“It’s worth remembering that our average age was 18, while their average age was 20, and that makes a big difference at that age.

“A lot gets said about Southampton’s academy, and rightly so as a lot of good work goes on there.

“But for our players to run them so close over two games, taking them to extra time in the second one, is a lot of credit to the work that’s going on with John Filan, Eric Kinder and the academy lads.

“There seems to be a bit of a spirit and fight among them, and that’s important.

“I spoke to the lads afterwards and said how well they had done but asked them, ‘Who is the next one who is going to make their debut?’ “It’s all right getting to these finals but it’s about producing players for the first team and having careers, and we just dangled that carrot in front of them.”

David Raya, who kept goal for Rovers in both legs of the final against Southampton, made his first-team debut in the 3-0 win at Leeds United on Easter Saturday.

Since then two more players still eligible for the U21s have broken into Bowyer’s plans.

Midfielder John O’Sullivan, who came on against Leeds, made his full debut in the 2-2 draw at Birmingham City 11 days ago, while the versatile Darragh Lenihan made his first senior appearance for the club in the 2-0 win at home to Millwall on Tuesday night.

Rovers are currently under a Financial Fair Play embargo which prevents them from paying fees for new signings.

Bowyer said: “I can’t see us coming out of the embargo in the summer at this moment in time so the importance of a youth system to our club now is massive.

“We’ve had success in the past with Jason Lowe, Grant Hanley, Josh Morris and Adam Henley but we need more coming through and hopefully your David Rayas, John O’Sullivans and Darragh Lenihans are the start of the next crop.

“This crop that we’ve got now, there’s one or two in there who we’re hopeful of joining us in pre-season and having a real good look at them, and from my background I’ll always give them the opportunity as it’s massively important.

“We’re doing that now and long may it continue but there’s a hell of a long way to go yet.

“But the young lads have seen that there is an opportunity. Those names that I’ve just mentioned should be role models and I add to those the name of Phil Jones. You’ve seen where he’s gone and he’s a role model for everybody in that sense.

“We’re working ever so hard to produce players who are home grown and who can save us a hell of a lot of money because we haven’t got that money now.”