After a run of games in which Blackburn Rovers have felt they have not always got what they deserved, this was a welcome return to winning ways.
Three well-taken goals, the return of key players and a rare appearance from part of the ownership group combined to make it perhaps one of the home games that will stand out come the end of the campaign.
Advertisement
The first half was hardly a classic.
Rovers started a second successive game without a recognised centre-forward, but Tony Mowbray’s tactical tweak did at least bring Hayden Carter back into the side as part of a three-man central defensive unit.
That alone felt significant.
Only a week earlier, Carter was not fit enough to start and Tom Atcheson was suspended, leaving Rovers patched together at the back during the defeat at Preston North End.
Carter has a touch of class. There are few players in this squad with his combination of physical attributes and technical quality.
The frustration is that, at 26 and approaching his 27th birthday, his career has never truly been allowed to gain momentum.
Advertisement
Injuries have repeatedly got in the way. Starting just 27 of the past 99 Championship games tells its own story.
If Rovers are going to push on this season, they need Carter available and influential because, quite simply, he raises the level of the team.
Rare co-owner appearance met with hostility
As the game drifted towards half-time, attention turned to a part of the Jack Walker Stand that simply is not visible from the media area.
Balaji Rao, part of the family that has owned the club for nearly 16 years, appeared through the glass doors to take his spot in the public glare.
The reaction was entirely predictable. The relationship between Blackburn Rovers supporters and the owners has been severely fractured and has been for years. Many would say it is beyond repair.
Advertisement
If anything, the hostile reception served as a reminder of just how deep the disconnect runs.
Some supporters may welcome the fact ownership figures are at least showing their faces. Others will see it as little more than symbolism. Whether it proves to be the start of greater engagement or merely a one-off remains to be seen.
‘Players have bought into Mowbray’s approach’
Back on the pitch, Dapo Afolayan continued to justify the faith being shown in him.
Regular football under Mowbray appears to be bringing the best out of the winger and he took his first goal superbly, flicking home Sam Morsy’s delivery four minutes before the break.
Advertisement
His second was even better.
Following a Lyndon Dykes equaliser from the penalty spot early in the second half, Afolayan showed his natural flair, collecting the ball inside his own half and driving forward before finishing with aplomb.
Skipper Todd Cantwell helped create the space with an unselfish run off the ball. It was the sort of individual moment that wins Championship matches.
There were scares, as there always seem to be when the scoreline is 2-1. Millwall had a goal ruled out, a decision their manager Alex Neil found hard to accept.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Andri Gudjohnsen capped a swift counter-attack with a composed finish to finally put the contest beyond doubt.
Advertisement
Blackburn deserved to win the game and duly secured the points. For the first time in a number of weeks, Mowbray could make game-changing substitutions and Rovers benefited significantly from that.
The hope now is that the upcoming international break brings even more bodies back into contention.
If the injury list continues to shrink and if a free agent or two can be added to the 23-man squad, Rovers will begin to look far healthier than they have for much of the campaign.
There is one more game to negotiate between now and then – a visit to Portsmouth. If they can win that as well, the opening portion of the season will look highly encouraging.
Advertisement
What is becoming increasingly obvious is that the players have bought into Mowbray’s approach.
This team attacks with more intent, carries far greater threat and looks considerably more likely to score than last season’s version.
Given that Rovers managed a meagre 42 league goals last term, surpassing that total should be the bare minimum expectation.
On the evidence of this performance, they ought to be aiming much higher than that.
Read the full article here