BLACKBURN Rovers U18s have been urged to grasp the opportunity in Monday’s big FA Youth Cup third-round clash at Tottenham Hotspur.

Rovers froze when they were knocked out by Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium at the same stage of last season’s competition.

And coach Brian Carey said: “I was a little disappointed with how we played last year because there was a lot of hype, a lot of anticipation and expectation among the group.

“But when the match came round, for all the talk, build-up and excitement, none of that transferred on to the pitch, which was really disappointing, and we’ll be looking to readdress that.

“The FA Youth Cup is really special for these kids and they’ve got to make sure it doesn’t pass them by and that they take part in the game and don’t get carried away with the excitement or the occasion.

“They’ve just got to do their jobs like they know they can.”

It has been a testing season so far for the U18s.

The team’s resources have been stretched by the graduation of Sam Lavelle, Jack Doyle, Modou Cham and, most recently, Ryan Nyambe to the U21s.

But, while they remain bottom of the U18s Premier Division North group, they are showing sign of improvement.

In each of their previous three games they have come from behind to take a point and last Saturday they held high-flying Manchester City to a 2-2 draw in the first match to be staged at the multi-million pound Etihad Campus.

“It has been difficult for the lads because the team has been quite young and if you’re not at your best against the top teams it is hard,” said former Republic of Ireland international Carey, who started out Manchester United and went on to make 350 League appearances for Leicester City and Wrexham.

“But this season has been fantastic for the lads’ development, particularly the first years. They have had to take a lot on board and they have had to learn an awful lot as they have gone along.

“Monday night will be another chance to learn as Tottenham are a good team.

“I went to see them last Wednesday at their training ground against West Ham and they have got some good players and they are a very good footballing team.

“But we will go there with confidence and we will go there looking to cause our own problems.

“For three games in a row now we’ve come back and showed good fighting qualities and good character.

“And we’ll definitely need those qualities again on Monday night.”

Rovers’ ranks should be boosted by the inclusion of  the U21s regulars who are still eligible to play for the U18s – Lavelle, Doyle, Cham, Nyambe, Hyuga Tanner and even Connor Mahoney, who travelled with Gary Bowyer’s first-team squad as 19th man for last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.

“We’ll have some of the lads back from the U21s,” said Carey, who was assistant manager to former Rovers coach Dean Saunders at Wrexham, Wolves and Doncaster before arriving at Ewood Park.

“They will strengthen the team given the amount of games they’ve amassed at a higher age group.

“They are the example to our lads. They’ve applied themselves properly, they’re performed well and it’s been recognised.

“They’ve pushed on and got games at U21s level and they will be now looking to make the next step up.

 “We’re going to pick the strongest U18s team we can.”

Monday’s match against Spurs, who sit third in the U18s Premier League South group, takes place at Dagenham & Redbridge’s Victoria Road and kicks off at 7pm.

Rovers won the FA Youth Cup for the one and only time in the club’s history in 1959.

But they have been runners-up on three occasions, most recently in 2012 when a side led by current first-team assistant manager Terry McPhillips were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Chelsea in the final.