Midfielder Houghton on adapting to life in League Two.
Jordan Houghton is relishing the reality of League Two football and has thanked manager Darren Ferguson for throwing him in “at the deep end”.
The Chelsea loanee has started all four of Rovers games this season and would be anticipated to start in the weekend’s fixture against Cheltenham Town.
“The manager has chucked me straight in the deep end and I can only thank him for that,” said the 20-year-old.
“The way he’s trusted me in the holding midfield role where a lot of managers will look for an experienced player in that position.
“He’s just said to me, get on the ball, dictate it, take risks if possible and just try and play my own game really which is good for someone like myself being a young player and having a manager like that that can trust you and it can only give you confidence for the future.”
Houghton, who has had previous loan spells away from Stamford Bridge with Gillingham and Plymouth Argyle, said that he is only looking to further get to grips with senior football but is still monitored by the Blues.
“To further my career, I’m looking to get experience in men’s football which is completely different to academy football in different aspects and I’m thankful that I’ve got the opportunity here,” he said.
“He (Ferguson) wants me to get on the ball and try and break play up and keep it ticking in midfield which is what Chelsea want to see as well.
“That’s what the likes of (Nemanja) Matic and (N’Golo) Kante are doing. We’ve got different programmes that they want me to look to and individual aspects of my game that I want to improve upon.”
Of Gary Johnson’s Cheltenham Town side who swept to the National League title last season – and will face Rovers at Whaddon Road on Saturday – Houghton commented: “In this league there’s a few teams that play – ours is definitely one of them – and there’s a few teams that don’t.
“They want to go long and be physical but that’s there strengths and that’s what we’ve got to adapt to.
“The lower down the leagues you go, the more you find its physical and you have to put your foot in but I think I can do both. It’s good for my development; playing against those sorts of players only makes you “man up”.