DAVID Dunn fulfilled a dream most people never get close to achieving – playing for your hometown football club.

He didn’t just do it just once either, 378 times in fact, putting him among the top 20 of Rovers’ all-time appearance makers.

The first of those came 20 years ago today when a fresh-faced Dunn made his Rovers debut in 0-0 draw against Everton at Goodison Park.

Dunn’s Rovers career, which spanned two spells, would bring plenty of highs, special moments and silky skills, but his debut wasn’t the one he’d dreamed of.

The date is Saturday, September 26, 1998 and Rovers are drawing 0-0 with Everton. The season was only six weeks old and already Roy Hodgson’s men had lost five times in seven games, including a home UEFA Cup defeat to Lyon.

Dunn’s bow came with 20 minutes to play at Goodison when he replaced Damien Duff.

But after the excitement of being sent on, the 18-year-old endured a lonely walk off again 11 minutes later when Hodgson opted to bring on the more experienced and tenacious Billy McKinlay as a result of a red card for Rovers frontman Martin Dahlin.

“It was a little bit strange really,” Dunn told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“There was a couple of us warming up and Parkesy (Tony Parkes) shouted down the line and I just assumed it was one of the older ones.

“I looked around and he said ‘no, you’ so it was strange.

“I was nervous, but excited as well.

“To come on and have that high, the fans singing your name, then suddenly within 11 minutes to be dragged off was disappointing.

“It wasn’t my greatest moment I have to say.”

It also wasn’t a moment the now 38-year-old expected.

“As funny as it seems now, it wasn’t then, I was clapping and saying ‘come on lads, we’ll be alright’ when Dahlin got sent off,” Dunn continued.

“Then as I was doing that a few of the older lads were laughing and saying ‘get yourself over there you’re coming off’.”

It could have hit some players hard, but Dunn had a strong belief in his own ability and was given words of encouragement by Hodgson.

“Roy came in afterwards and said there would be loads more opportunities, don’t worry about that,” Dunn added.

“The type of person I was, I had a real belief in myself. I was thinking ‘I don’t care if we’ve gone down to 10 men, give me the ball and I will make something happen’.

“I think you have to be like that to be a player, you have to have a real self-belief and confidence in your own ability.”

Dunn felt ready for his opportunity when it did come at the age of 18 but he admits it took plenty of mental strength to overcome his disappointing debut.

“It wasn’t like a massive arm around my shoulder,” he said.

“Today, young players have a big support network around them, whether it be the manager and coaches, the parent, their agent, you had that back then, but it was far less.

“People are really aware of stuff now, whereas back then they weren’t really bothered.

“It was like ‘sorry you had to come off then son but get on with it’.

“The younger players today have everything done for them, it’s very politically correct in society, everyone is worried about offending someone, even 20 years ago it was different and then worse before me. So it was ‘get on with it’ and if you didn’t then the game wouldn’t have been for you.

“You had to cope with it and be mentally strong naturally.

“I suppose the young lads now have to be mentally strong but there was less explaining done when something adverse comes your way.”

Dunn’s time at Rovers spanned 17 years before he returned as Under-23 coach under Damien Johnson in 2016 following a short spell in charge of Oldham Athletic.

He left the club in the summer to pursue interests away from football, a year after finishing the 2016/17 season as first-team coach under Tony Mowbray.

That campaign saw Rovers relegated from the Championship while Dunn’s first Rovers season as a player also ended in relegation as they dropped out of the Premier League.

Just four years after lifting the title, Rovers were in the second tier.

But this presented Dunn with more opportunities to pull on the blue and white halves than may have been possible had they stayed in the top-flight.

He managed 14 league appearances in the 1998-99 season with his second coming as a starter in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield two months later.

On December 5 he chalked up another milestone, a first senior appearance at Ewood in a 1-0 victory over Charlton - a special moment for the local lad.

“Growing up, being a Blackburn supporter and coming through the age groups, I perhaps had opportunities to go to bigger clubs when I was younger but I always felt I wanted to stay at Blackburn,” Dunn said.

“I definitely felt ready and like most young players do, they all feel they’re ready and all they are wanting is to be given a chance.”