Kean keeps his feet on the ground (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Kean keeps his feet on the ground

7:47am Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter

HEARING the home crowd chant your name, pulling off a crucial save and helping the team to a morale-boosting three points. Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest really was the perfect home debut for Jake Kean.

The 21-year-old stopper will take his place between the posts for tomorrow’s FA Cup third round tie against Bristol City taking nothing for granted though, after admitting he knows his fortunes can change in an instant.

Rovers’ academy product has started the last four games as the club’s number one, with Paul Robinson’s Ewood Park future still hanging in the balance.

His second half save in his Ewood bow on Tuesday, from Billy Sharp’s header, kept Rovers in front and prompted a sound many of us never thought we would here – chants of ‘Keano’ from the stands.

Kean certainly appears to be relishing the opportunity to finally stake his claim having been forced to spend his first couple of years at the club on the fringes.

But, with the club shrouded by managerial uncertainty, Kean knows nothing is guaranteed.

He said: “I am not taking anything for granted. A new manager could come in and bring his own goalkeeper in, or could decide to change it.

“I am just going to take it one game at a time and go from there.

“It was nice to feel part of the team and part of the club and if I can play the next game, hopefully the fans can sing my name again.

“You are put in goal to make saves and if it hits you and stays out it is a bonus. I will take every save as it comes.

“The most important thing is we are picking up points and climbing up the table. That was my Ewood Park debut and it was brilliant to play in front of the crowd at home, get a clean sheet and help the team win.”

After Henning Berg’s dismissal, reserve team manager Gary Bowyer will continue in charge for the visit of the Robins tomorrow.

And, having worked with many of the club’s younger first team players before, he appears to have got a reaction from the squad that previous bosses could not manage.

“Gary Bowyer and Terry McPhillips deserve massive praise for the way they have gone about it,” added Kean.

“The way we have set up and the professionalism shown by everyone who is here has been brilliant, and I think it shows out on the pitch. Gaz has done a fantastic job so far and he knows what he is doing.”

And with back to back wins under Bowyer, Kean hopes the club have experienced a ‘turning point’.

He said: “The two performances we have had and the two results can be a great stepping stone to help us build and hopefully move up the table.

“There was a lot of confusion to start off with but I think the lads have rallied together and decided we are going to do it for ourselves and do it for the fans and not pay any attention to what is going on outside of our control.”