FORMER Stockport manager Andy Kilner has lifted the lid on the amazing dare-devil antics of Blackburn Rovers' new hero Shefki Kuqi.

Mark Hughes' flying Finn left Rovers fans opened mouthed when he performed his 'swallow dive' goal celebration during last week's 2-0 victory over West Brom.

The 28-year-old's unique version of the bellyflop was the topic of conversation on everybody's lips as they filed out of Ewood Park last Saturday night.

However, Kilner reckons that eye-watering celebration was tame in comparison to the kind of acrobatics he once saw from Kuqi on a pre-season trip to Scandinavia with Stockport several years ago.

Kilner said: "Shefki might have his limitations as a player but people don't appreciate what an incredible athlete he is and that goal celebration is probably something only he could do.

"I once took the players on a boat trip as part of a pre-season tour with Stockport and we stopped in the middle of an estuary so the lads could jump over the side and go for a swim.

"There was also a mast on the boat, which must have been as tall as a house, and it had a diving board attached to it.

"I was sat on the deck, minding my own business, when suddenly I noticed Shefki climbing up the mast and I shouted 'what do you think you are doing?'.

"The next thing I knew, he dived off the top and performed a somersault before entering the water in a perfect straight line.

"It was a crazy thing to do but when you get to know Shefki, you realise he's a supreme athlete who can turn his hand to anything."

With that in mind, it's easy to see why Kuqi has the skill to perform his trademark celebration.

He first developed it as a teenager in Finland, often using the local swimming pool to work on his technique.

And, while some headmasters in East Lancashire have been quick to urge their pupils not to copy Kuqi in playgrounds this week, Kilner believes his celebration adds colour to the game at a time when people are saying football is not as entertaining as it used to be.

"When my scout in Scandinavia first alerted me about Shefki, he was playing for a club called Jokerit in Finland at the time," recalls Kilner.

"He sent me a video of a game he went to where Shefki scored a hat-trick and that was the first time I saw him do his dive.

"We then signed him for Stockport and I saw him do it for the first time in England when he scored at Barnsley, and it's become his trademark here ever since.

"I think it's totally unique and, knowing what kind of an athlete Shefki is, I think it's something only he could do.

"When you look at the height he generates, it's frightening at times.

"But I'm sure Mark Hughes won't complain if he sees him do it another 15 times this season."