DAVID Lee is the Happy Wanderer who could easily have been a Rover - twice over!

Saturday's big Ewood derby between Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers will probably mean more to the 28-year-old winger than anyone on either side.

For the local boy who eventually made good elsewhere is just hoping he gets the chance to play against the club he has always supported.

And treading the Ewood turf for the first time would also be a special moment for a player who has done his share of cheering on Rovers teams of the past from the Blackburn End terraces.

Lee, with more than a century of League appearances for Bolton under his belt, has in fact worn the blue and white halves - but only as a youngster.

"When I was at school in Chorley, I signed as an associate schoolboy for Rovers and, although I didn't get to sign on as an apprentice, everything I got from the club was a bonus," he said.

"It was good just to be able to train with them. "And I still got fixed up, with Martin Dobson taking me to Bury.

"I had always been a Rovers fan as a kid and I remember watching them when players like Derek Fazackerley, Tony Parkes, Noel Brotherston, Micky Rathbone, Ian Miller, Jim Branagan and Terry Gennoe were in the side. How times have changed for the club now, and I still go and watch them when I can."

Rovers' youth boss Jim Furnell had no difficulty in remembering Lee's early days at Ewood.

"He was then, as he still is now, a very busy player and, if we had been in a stronger financial position at the time, we might well have taken him on," he said. "But I think we already had Franz Carr in that right wing position and we had to be very selective because we couldn't afford to take on too many youngsters in those days. I'm delighted he went on to make a success of his career."

That was the first time that Lee, who still lives locally, was close to becoming a fully-fledged Rover. The second came after he had repaid Bury's faith in him by appearaing in more than 200 League matches for the Gigg Lane club.

"Southampton wanted to sign me but Terry Robinson, the Bury chairman, told me that Rovers manager Don Mackay was also interested," explained Lee.

"The problem was that he was still considering the situation and, if I had waited for Blackburn and they eventually said 'No', I might have missed out on signing for Southampton as well.

"That's why I had to make a decision and take the move."

It gave Lee a chance to play in the top flight but he was also happy to return to home ground when Bolton paid Southampton £300,000 - just £50,000 less than he had cost Saints - for the winger in November 1992.

"I was pleased to come back North," he said. "All my roots are up here and I'm that kind of lad.

"It has been a good move too. Bolton were in the Second Division when I joined them and we have had two promotions and reached the Premier League. "Hopefully we can now stay there.

"I don't know if I will be in the team on Saturday but I hope I am in the squad and I would love to get on. Even though I played in the Rovers B team, I have never actually played at Ewood at any level. It's a big game for us as a club on Saturday and a big game for me. Rovers' home record speaks for itself and they are doing well, even though a lot of people wrote them off.

"We haven't had the best of luck, losing quite a few goals in the last five minutes of games when there hasn't been any time left to recover.

"But we know that you have to learn quickly in the Premier League."

There won't be any divided loyalties for David Lee on Saturday. He desperately wants Bolton to take the points that will make him an even happier Wanderer.

But, deep down, like his mates who still occupy the Blackburn End, he'll always be a Rover too.

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