Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Rovers signed defender, Stephen Warnock, from Liverpool for a fee of £1.5m in January 2007. He proved to be a bargain capture as the left back slotted in seamlessly into a Rovers side looking to achieve big things under then manager, Mark Hughes.

Warnock made his first appearance for Rovers in a 4-0 win at Luton in the FA Cup. Four days later, he made his Premier League debut for the club in a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. He had only spent a week as a Rovers player, when he picked up his first red card, after collecting two yellows in a home win over Sheffield United in February 2007.

Rovers had lost Lucas Neill, as the Australian had left for West Ham. However, his robust, tenacious approach to defending was replaced in equal measure by the impressive Warnock, who put in a number of whole hearted displays throughout his time in a Rovers shirt. His desire to get stuck in and break forward down the left flank endeared him to the supporters.

Warnock immediately became a mainstay in the side, completing 13 out of 14 of the remaining games of the 2006/07 season at left back. Rovers finished 10th that season, reached the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and got to the semi finals of the FA Cup, where they were beaten by Chelsea. Stephen Warnock played his part in helping Rovers to these positions. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win against Portsmouth at Ewood Park in February 2007 and would go on to score five more times before the end of his time as a Rover.

The 2007/08 season was Mark Hughes' last as Rovers manager and the club was once again challenging for a European place, narrowly missing out in the end with a 7th place Premier League finish. Warnock made 45 appearances in all that season and became part of a solid defensive structure comprising of the likes of Brett Emerton, Chris Samba and Ryan Nelsen. The fact that Warnock played in 37 out of 38 Premier League games that season shows just how valuable a member of the team he was.

It was a similar story in the 2008/09 season with Warnock making 37 out of 38 Premier League appearances, with some seeing him play as a central midfielder. He made 43 appearance in all competitions that season. This, despite Rovers having two different managers in Paul Ince and Sam Allardyce during the campaign and the team struggling to get away from relegation danger. His consistent run of first team football under three different managers during his Rovers career was an indicator of his quality as a player and his reliability.

Stephen Warnock was an all action, brave, tough tackling defender who also looked to get forward whenever possible. He is thought of as one of the best left backs Blackburn Rovers have had by the supporters.

Warnock left Rovers to sign for Aston Villa in August 2009, having made 109 appearances in total for the club and scoring six goals. Here are those goals.