BLACKBURN Rovers Under-21 boss Damien Johnson believes the revamped EFL Trophy will help Ewood youngsters make the breakthrough into the first team.

Rovers accepted an invitation in the new-look tournament and will face Fleetwood Town, Carlisle United and Oldham Athletic in the group stages.

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And Johnson believes the competition, in which Rovers will field an Under-23 side, will benefit rising Ewood stars.

"It will be terrific," he said. "The Under-21 programme has come under a bit of criticism in the past couple of years so I understand where the Premier League are coming from. So I think in terms of trying to make it more real for the lads there is no better way than this.

"The whole idea for us is to try and prepare them for that final bit, stepping them up into the first team to get the ready for the Championship and the demands of that.

"There is only so much we can do as a lot of the games are at training grounds, and that's not really preparing them for stepping into a Championship game on a Tuesday night.

"So the EFL Trophy now gives us another closer step to replicating what they are going to experience if, and when, they make their debuts.

"And that is what it is all about, to help them so that when they do get a chance that it isn't that new to them."