ROVERS midfielder Peter Whittingham is excited to get the League One campaign underway after a tough pre-season.

It has been double sessions for much of the summer for the Rovers players since they returned to training on June 28.

Rovers, who are close to sealing a deal for a new goalkeeper with free agent Ross Turnbull among the names in the frame, begin life in League One at Southend United on Saturday with Whittingham relishing the challenge that lies ahead.

The 32-year-old is preparing for his 15th full season as a professional, but the midfielder is eagerly anticipating his fresh start at Rovers after joining from Cardiff City in the summer.

“They are still exciting,” Whittingham said of the opening day. “When you have been training constantly for six weeks all you want to do is play the first game and then they come thick and fast after that.

“It will be good get going. You need to be doing all the running and all the work that the manager and the coaching staff are asking of you.

“It’s all leading up to that, and we have to go out on Saturday and perform, and it then takes you on to the next game, and the one after that, and if you can get on a run then it will definitely help.

“We are definitely straight in to it but it’s better that way than training constantly and leading up to the games which we have had for the last six weeks.”

Whittingham is the most experienced of Rovers’ summer signings with 545 career appearances to his name.

He is the only addition over 30 however, and the former Aston Villa man believes there is a good blend of youth and experience in Tony Mowbray’s squad.

“It’s a really big squad, you have the young lads that have done really well and the gaffer has kept hold of everyone he wanted to,” Whittingham added.

“It’s a good blend but time will tell.”

With Rovers having not played any of their six pre-season friendlies at home, Whittingham will have to wait until next Saturday’s game with Doncaster Rovers to make his Ewood Park bow.

He has been on the opposing side at Ewood six times, most recently in March when he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw.

He added: “I have played against Blackburn before and always thought what a stadium it was.

“Obviously being on the other side now it’s exciting and a challenge that I am looking forward to.”