The Story Behind David ‘Junior’ Hoilett

By: Jimmy | July 29th, 2009

So some of you might not know the saga and struggle the Rovers went through to bring this promising youngster to England, so here’s the short and short of it…

In this Andy Cryer piece on the Rover Reserves 2-0 win over Leigh Genesis, you can read about how he Hoilett scored the two goals for Rovers. This promising youngster set to light up Ewood this season was almost not to be due to some work permit restrictions though, but heres what happened.

A product of the Rovers academy, Hoilett was sent out on loan to SC Paderborn for a half season in the 2. Bundesliga where he scored once in 12 appearances. Then last season, he was on loan at FC St. Pauli, also in the 2. Bundesliga, where he scored six in 21 appearances. Needless to say the youngster, only 18 at the time, (he’s 19 now) was showing some promise.

When it came time to decide what Rovers wanted to do with him this season, he declared he would not be returning to the 2. Bundesliga or St. Pauli, and wanted t play at a higher level and Rovers decided to bring him back to the club to play witht he Ressies and possibly the first team.

However his age, his lack of caps for Canada and Canada’s Fifa ranking left some issues with Hoilett’s work permit. This confused everyone, including Rovers, who requested a meeting with the Board to hear the case of the youngster. Rovers had his rights, he was under contract with us. He was, for all intents and purposes, a Rovers player. How could he not be allowed into the country?

In a landmark decision, a review board voted unanimously to allow Hoilett back into the country to play for Rovers. In a crazy football world with rulings and decisions all the time that make us scratch our heads, with smaller clubs being abused by a Big 4 bias, it was very rewarding to see some level headed and fairness. I look forward to seeing this lad come out with some sub appearances and light up the pitch with his pace and skill. Best of luck to him.