Rovers have announced that fan-favourite Elliott Bennett has extended his stay at Ewood Park for an extra two years, meaning the 28-year old midfielder will remain at the club until at least the summer of 2020.
After proving to become a pivotal cog in Rovers’ team over the past year and a half, the winger has been rewarded with a new deal which the fans will no doubt be fully behind and will have put to bed any potential rumours of him departing in January.
Bennett’s indispensability to the side has already been seen so far this season, as he has played in every league and cup game so far, totalling up to 12 appearances. The 28-year old joined the club under former manager Paul Lambert in January 2016 for an undisclosed fee and adapted to his surroundings quickly as his work ethic, quality on the ball and passion for the shirt gained him a lot of plaudits amongst the fans since his move.
Bennett’s range of skill has also led to him winning the 2016-17 goal of the season competition, through his 30-yard strike against Blackpool in the FA Cup 4th Round. The midfielder, who made his 50th Rovers appearance in the 2-0 win over Rotherham, a week and a half ago, spoke to the club’s media team about how delighted he was to be extending his stay in Blue and White.
“I’m delighted to get the deal done. The gaffer and I have been speaking about it for a while now and I’m just happy that I can finally commit my future to the club. I was really keen to sign the new deal, it was never my intention to leave at the end of last season, I was part of the bad season we had last season and I want to be part of what is hopefully going to be a good season this time around, which will culminate in us getting promoted and achieving everyone’s aim. When you fail, you want to try and put it right and I’m no different to that. There are a lot of lads who were here last season and we spoke to each other during pre-season about how we owe it to the club and to ourselves to try and right our wrongs, which is what we’re aiming to do this season.
“Blackburn Rovers shouldn’t be in League One, as a collective group, the players that are still here and those who have since left, we failed last season, which was really disappointing but we have to put that behind us because League One is a tough league, as we’ve found out. Ever since the wake-up call on the opening day of the campaign, we’ve all really knuckled down and taken on board what the gaffer wants. Our sole focus is on getting promoted and that should be the only aim when you’re playing for Blackburn Rovers. I’ll be the first to admit that my career here started off terribly, but I think ever since January of last year, I’ve slowly grown into the side. Since the gaffer’s been here, we’ve been winning more games than we’ve been losing, which is part of the reason why I originally joined the club. I’m a big believer in when a team’s successful, everyone’s successful together, whether that being individuals or the club as a whole. I like to think I’ve become more consistent, I’m working hard every day to be the best player I can be for this club and some days I might not perform up-to people’s expectations, but I will always put in 100% for the shirt and I hope that comes across when I’m playing.
“I always try and be as honest as I can with the fans and say things how I see them in order to avoid any ambiguity. I know when I perform badly and I’m not shy of admitting it. When you play badly, you can’t afford to dwell on it, especially when you’re injured. You can only look towards the future and make sure you do as well as you can when you get the opportunity to play. There hasn’t been a standout moment throughout my time here, despite the disappointment of last season, I’ve honestly enjoyed every minute of my time at this football club. I think everyone’s taken to me and when you enter a workplace you want to be happy and try and make people smile and ever since I walked through the door, everyone from behind the scenes to the fans have been great with me.
“My family and I are settled and really happy, having kids is a great leveller, although you can be disappointed after a loss, it’s great to go home and have the kids to cheer you up. Everything off the pitch is fantastic and we’re winning games on it, which lifts everyone’s mood.”
