CRAIG Conway will lead out Blackburn Rovers this afternoon on what will be his 22nd consecutive league start of the season.

The stand-in skipper was on the bench for Rovers’ opening two league games of the season, but has been an ever-present in the starting line-up under Owen Coyle since.

However, while he is ending 2016 as one of the first names on the teamsheet, things were more difficult for the Scot in the early part of the year under Paul Lambert.

With Lambert preferring to operate with a narrower midfield, Conway himself admitted he didn’t really fit in to the plans of the former Rovers boss.

He started just nine games in the second half of last season, completing 90 minutes on six occasions, as he had to settle mainly for a role as a substitute.

The winger, who will mark three years as a Rovers player next month, made eight appearances off the bench, as well as being an unused sub six times, with his cause not helped by his red card at Sheffield Wednesday on April 5.

But on becoming a regular under Coyle, Conway said: “I’ve been in football long enough to know that sometimes you fit in to plans and sometimes you don’t.

“That’s not to say you’re a bad player, but under the last manager, I will tell you myself, I didn’t think the system suited me.

“We were playing more of a diamond and playing that bit narrower, so with me being an out and out winger it didn’t really suit me.

“The last manager was honest enough with me and told me that.

“But since the new manager has come in I’m part of the plans and every player wants to feel part of something, and I certainly do.

“I’m really enjoying it personally, apart from the results.

“Every player wants to play and I’m really enjoying it.”

Conway was a deadline day signing for Rovers from Cardiff in January 2014, agreeing an initial two-and-a-half year deal which was extended until 2018 just 18 months after joining.

His aim as he approaches his third anniversary at the club is to help Rovers climb up the table, adding: “I have really enjoyed every minute, it’s been brilliant.

“The facilities here are excellent and I’ve said it countless time before, but I am really enjoying it here.

“You don’t wanting to be down there fighting, you want to be at the other end of the table, and that’s the plan, we have the squad here to get up the table.

“We shouldn’t be where we are, but that’s the reality of the situation, and it’s only us that can get us out of there.”

Conway started the season with three goals in the opening two months, but it’s been something of a barren run since, going 15 games without finding the back of the net as Rovers head for Huddersfield.

And Conway said: “I started the season well, I was scoring goals and I want to get back to that.

“Personally I’m very happy with playing every week and I feel part of it.

“With the goals, I think I scored three quickly and there’s been a few games where I’ve not scored.

“The last couple of games I’ve felt like I’m getting back to where I want to be and hopefully I can build on that and help the team by scoring more goals and setting them up.”