PROUD Blackburn Rovers U21s boss Eric Kinder paid tribute to his young team after they held Theo Walcott and Arsenal  at bay.

England striker Walcott was making his return after nine months on the sidelines in Friday night’s U21s Premier League encounter in Boreham Wood.

And he was joined in the Gunners’ starting line-up by France international Abou Diaby and fit-again Germany U19 starlet Serge Gnabry.

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But Walcott, who played the first 45 minutes and was well shackled by the impressive Jack Doyle, and his team-mates could find no way through a well-drilled Rovers side who thoroughly deserved their 0-0 draw.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Kinder, who was able to call on attacker Devarn Green for the first time this season.

“You come to a place like this against a side as big as Arsenal, then you see their starting line-up and you look at our side and how young we are and you fear the worst.

“But we had a game plan and the lads stuck to it – I thought our work out of possession was magnificent.

“When you are playing against the calibre of side that they had out, then look at the age of our side – we could be classed as an U19s side, not an U21s. To come here and work as hard as we did, we fully deserved that.

“I thought it was a fabulous performance and the result proves that.”

Rovers had the better chances in the first half with Darragh Lenihan, an imposing figure in front of the back four, and his central-midfielder partner Hyuga Tanner forcing Ryan Huddart into low saves.

But it was Huddart’s opposite number Ryan Crump who proved to be the busier goalkeeper after the break.

After substitute Modou Cham flashed a shot wide at the other end, the Rovers number one denied Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Daniel Crowley in quick succession before he made an ever better stop to turn a free kick from the latter on to the bar.