THE boys who step out in blue and white at Ewood tonight are following in glorious footsteps, writes PETER WHITE.

And if only a couple of them eventually grow into men of the calibre of Mike England, Fred Pickering and Keith Newton then Blackburn Rovers will be more than satisfied - whatever the outcome of their FA Youth Cup final against Everton.

For older Rovers fans - including yours truly! - can still recall the rich seam of talent yielded by the club's last appearance in the final.

It is the blue riband of youth football and, when Rovers beat West Ham before a second-leg crowd of 28,000-plus at Ewood back in 1959, there was no question about the quality on view.

The showpiece final included Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst in West Ham colours - two men who became World Cup legends.

In Rovers' ranks were England, then a wing half but to become the finest central defender of his generation in Britain with Rovers and Tottenham.

Centre back Newton later switched to full back and went on to claim World Cup fame and a championship medal with Everton.

And Pickering, left back and captain, was turned into a formidable striker, earning England honours and a big-money move to Everton.

Comparisons are odious but, having seen both the boys of '59 and the current crop, I have no doubt there are potential stars in this group too. To match their predecessors - and there were others in the 1959 side such as Alan Bradshaw and Barrie Ratcliffe who made the League grade - Rovers need to win but it is not all-consuming so long as individuals progress. And, from confident and capable keeper Gareth Stewart, Rovers have some real possibilities.

Peter Murphy, usually left back, is a natural central defender - a role he filled when the influential Scot Keith Brown missed the game at Peterborough through injury.

If it were not for the fact that the assured Brown and giant central defender Martin "Tiny" Taylor are such a powerful combination, Murphy would probably be in the middle.

But he is still a class act at full back.

On the other flank, right back Leam Richardson is an authoritative skipper to complete the defence.

Andy McAvoy and Ciaran Ryan provide pace and thrust down the wings and central midfielders Garth Scates and David Dunn have the energy of a small power station.

Dunn, in particular, has emerged in this run as a super prospect, getting forward to finish with a natural striker's talents.

Top scorer Gary Hamilton is the spearhead and a lad with a touch of arrogance - the right kind - about his play. Jon Topley or Craig Woodfield complement him well, working around the main striker and the team has proved a powerful combination so far.

Sadly winger Paul Forsyth is a long-term injury victim.

But Rovers face formidable opponents in Everton, who have several claiming first team experience, the most notable being Danny Cadamarteri.

Michael Ball is a regular at senior level and so has missed much of the run, while Richard Dunne has also tasted the Premiership.

They have others who are highly rated too, such as strikers Francis Jeffers and Phillip Jevons - both among the goals as Everton got past Blackpool (1-0 A), Stoke (1-0 H), Watford (3-2 A), Ipswich (3-2 H) and holders Leeds in the two-legged semi-finals (3-1).

Colin Harvey and Andy Holden are in charge.

Whatever the outcome of tonight's first leg (7.35pm kick-off) and next Thursday's Goodison return, the most important thing is to ensure the continuing development of young players for the first team - just as they did in '59.

ROVERS FA YOUTH CUP APPEARANCES: Stewart, Taylor, Murphy, Richardson, McAvoy, Dunn, Scates, Hamilton all 8, Brown 7, Ryan 6 (1), Woodfield 5 (2), Topley 3 (2), Forsyth 2 (1), R Dunning 1, Connolly (5), Hawe (1). Maximum eight, sub appearances in brackets.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.