'I am glad they got relegated': Blackburn Rovers boss looks ahead to Burnley derby
Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace says he’s “glad” Burnley were relegated so that he can get his first taste of the East Lancashire derby.
The 44-year-old helped Rovers avoid relegation to League One by the skin of their teeth last season with a final day victory against Leicester City.
The former Birmingham City boss won three of his 17 games in charge after replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson in February.
After Burnley dropped down from the top flight, it means the two fierce rivals will face one another once again in the Championship.
The derby comes nice and early next season too, with Rovers making the short trip to Turf Moor at the end of August in only the fourth game of the campaign.
“It is an excellent, tough derby and that is what you want,” Eustace told RoversTV.
“We know it’s about the bragging rights and it is something that I will be very much keen on doing.
“It’s important, home and away, we go there and give them a really tough game and make sure they know that Blackburn Rovers are a top team.
“We will be rolling our sleeves up and we will make sure we give a good fight and account of ourselves.
“They are one-off games and form kind of goes out the window. It is about making sure that the fans are proud of the performance and most of the time that is by winning games.
“What a great two games it is going to be. I am glad they got relegated to the Championship and we stayed up, now we can have a couple of great games against them.”