FORMER Colchester United favourite Sammie Szmodics is celebrating another career milestone.

The 28-year-old ex-U's academy player has clocked up half a century of games for Championship side, Blackburn Rovers.

Szmodics joined Blackburn from Peterborough United in August, 2022 and has now made 51 appearances for them in all competitions, after featuring in their 4-1 defeat to Leicester City yesterday.

Szmodics told the Blackburn website: "I never dreamed of playing for a team like Blackburn Rovers.

"Some people don't understand it when they've come through the Academy.

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"I started off at Colchester in League Two and I've worked myself up.

"Blackburn is such a massive club and that's no disrespect to Colchester and Peterborough but the size of Blackburn Rovers compared to them is massive.

"To make one appearance for them is brilliant and to be at 50 and hopefully many more to come is a big achievement for myself."

Gazette:

Szmodics scored a total of 40 times in 165 appearances for his home town club Colchester, between 2013 and 2019.

The former Stanway School pupil twice finished as the U's top scorer during his time at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Szmodics ended his 16-year association with the U's when he joined Championship side Bristol City, in the summer of 2019.

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The former U's academy product joined Peterborough on a four-year deal from the Robins in September 2020ย having previously been on loan at Posh, where heย made 86 league and cup appearances, scoring 23 times.

Now he is impressing for Blackburn, having hit the net six times already this season.

Gazette:

"It's been a good start to the season," said Szmodics, who scored Blackburn's consolation goal against Leicester.

"I think I've already matched my Championship goals from last year in the first eight games, which is what I wanted to do.

"I wanted more goal involvements and I've done that.

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"I'd like to find myself as a bit of a key player now and I'm really, really enjoying my football.

"We've got a great team here and I think if you interviewed anyone, they'd be the same.

"Everyone gets on and it's been a good start."