Having grown up 10 minutes from the ground, represented the club’s Academy and cheered them on from the terraces as a season ticket holder, Ben Brereton will need no introduction to Stoke City.

Now in Rovers colours, Brereton will hope to get one over on the fans he used to sit among when Tony Mowbray’s side head to the bet365 Stadium, which is set for its biggest crowd of the season, tomorrow.

The 19-year-old had a season ticket in the Tony Pulis era as the Potters won promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and then enjoyed a 10-year run in the top flight that ended last summer.

The Stoke crowd was renowned as one of the most raucous in the Premier League as the Potters defied the odds to keep their heads above water.

Times have changed now and Rovers head to the Midlands ahead of Gary Rowett’s team in the early Championship table.

And Brereton aims to silence the crowd he was once part of.

“I used to go when I was younger, I had a season ticket with my mates,” the attacker explained.

“They have all still got season tickets and have been giving me a bit of stick in the group chat so I’ve been ignoring them!

“It’s a good club and I’m looking forward to going back and playing against them.

“I was watching them in the Championship and then the Premier League and they had the best home support when I was going. It was a really loud place.

“We’ll go there and do our thing and hopefully come away with a good result.”

Tomorrow Brereton will be hoping for his first Rovers start since making a loan move, which will become permanent in January, from Nottingham Forest last month.

With his parent club due at Ewood Park next weekend, a game for which Brereton is ineligible, the 19-year-old will be hoping to be involved from the start against Stoke, or in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Premier League side Bournemouth.

His footballing career saw him handed a senior debut by Nottingham Forest having had spells at Manchester United and then Stoke as a youngster prior to signing at the City Ground.

He added: “I was at Manchester United as a young lad and went to Stoke when I was 15 but didn’t get offered a scholarship there.

“I was there for a couple of years but it didn’t work out and then I went to Forest.

“It was a disappointing moment (leaving Stoke) but we all have setbacks and you have to get on with it and thankfully I did.

“Getting released as a young lad is difficult but that’s when you have to have good people around you, family and friends.

“Forest gave me a platform and now I’ve moved on to this club and I am looking forward to getting going now.”

Rovers make the trip to face another of the league’s heavyweights on the back of draws with Aston Villa and Derby County.

The challenges keep coming for Mowbray’s men but Brereton says they will make the trip down the M6 in high spirits.

“I think before the game we’d have been happy with a point from each (Villa and Derby),” added Brereton.

“In the Villa game the boys were incredible. Unfortunately that last minute goal denied us but we will learn from those mistakes and hopefully it won’t happen again.

“I was looking at what the players on the pitch and are doing and trying to do that when I come on, work hard and see how I get on.”