SUPPORTERS CLUB AWARDS
In the fourth part of our look at the Supporters Club End of Season Awards, today we feature Kian Hill who won the Academy Player of the Year Award, presented to him by Supporters Club Director Helen Wigmore.
Kian, an attacking midfielder, made his senior debut for us earlier in the season when he came off the bench in our Vertu Trophy match against Cheltenham Town on 7th October last year when we ran our 1-0 winners.
After coming through the Rovers Academy, he left to play Sunday League football, before returning to our youth setup.
Of that first appearance he said; ‘I wanted to come on and score or make a difference, but the main thing was keeping the 1-0 lead. You don’t want to end up losing the game when you come on.’
He had already trained with the first team by the time of that appearance and singled out Ellis Harrison as one of the more experienced players who had helped him; ‘Ellis has been really welcoming ever since I’ve been up there. He’s a really nice guy, and having players like him around makes a big difference. They pass on advice, they help you out, and it gives you confidence.’
Of his own football journey to date, he says; ‘I was at Rovers when I was younger, then went into Sunday League for a few years. That teaches you different things compared to Academy football. I was signed back up by Rovers just before the scholarship years and worked hard every day.’
He’s since spent time on loan with Southern League Division One outfit Bristol Manor Farm and scored five goals during his time with them. Now back at Rovers, he’s once again been training with our first team squad and he will be looking to push on again next season; we wish him well.
