BLACKBURN Rovers' Academy youngsters scored a real winner on a memorable pre-season trip to Thailand.

For not only did the Rovers starlets record two straight victories, the party of 14 players and five staff also met up with several government ministers as well as being invited to pay their respects to the King of Thailand as he lay in hospital recovering from illness.

The trip was arranged by the Thai Cultural Forum and the Rovers' party was based in Bangkok.

They beat local team Suphanburi 3-2 with two goals from Jamie Maclaren and one from Reece Hands and had goals from Filip Pivkovski and Osayamen Osawe to thank for a 2-0 success against the Thai national under-18 side in the national stadium.

"It was an excellent trip and the lads had a memorable time on the field and off it," said Rovers' head of youth coaching Gary Bowyer, who was joined on the trip by Academy manager Phil Cannon, head of education and welfare Rick Leighton, senior academy physiotherapist Russ Wrigley and performance analyst Jason Todd.