ELLIOTT Bennett said he never had any intention of leaving Rovers following relegation to League One and is eyeing promotion back to the Championship after signing a new deal.

Bennett has agreed a two-year extension to his contract which now runs until the summer of 2020.

And the popular figure is now aiming to help right the wrongs of last season which saw Rovers drop in to the third tier of English football for the first time in 37 years.

The 28-year-old was courted by QPR during the summer, with Rovers rebuffing their enquiries, and Bennett revealed it isn’t in his make up to simply walk away when the going got tough.

“When you fail, whether as a group or an individual, you want to try and put it right,” he said.

“I’m no different, there are a lot of lads in that dressing room who were here last season and we had a good chat when we came back for pre-season about it and we owe it to the club and ourselves to right the wrongs of last year and that’s what we’re looking to do.

“No doubt about it, Blackburn Rovers should not be in League One and we failed last year.

“You can point fingers at who you want, but collectively, as a group of players, we didn’t do enough to stay in the division.

“That was really disappointing, but we have to put that aside, League One is a tough league as we have found out on the opening day and ever since that wake up call, if you want to call it that, we have all really knuckled down, taking on board what the gaffer has said and are striving towards that (promotion) aim.”

Bennett has become a popular figure among fans since joining in January 2016.  But it wasn’t until earlier in the calendar year that he has established himself as a regular in the Rovers side.

Despite that, he said he never thought about leaving the club following conversations with manager Tony Mowbray.

He said: “When things don’t go so well I’m not someone who is just going to run away and look for the first opportunity out.

“Once I sat down with the gaffer and we had a chat, it was never my intention to leave at the end of the season.

“He made it clear that he wanted me to be here and as long as he wanted me here I said I would be here giving everything I could to help the club get back to where it should be.

“We have kept the group of players from last year and we’re looking right the wrongs of last season.”

And after extending his stay in East Lancashire for a further two years, Bennett said: “The longer you’re at a club the more you feel a part of the club and the place and I’m at that stage where I feel part of it.

“I love playing, I love coming in to training every day, I try and make people laugh and have a smile on my face and then when it comes down to training or a game I switch my head on and it’s all about trying to get three points.

“I’m in a much better place than I was last year. I’m working hard every day to try and be the best player I can for this football club.

“On some days I might not be as good as some people want me to be but one thing I will do is always give 100 per cent for this shirt and I hope that comes across when I play.”