Once again we played much better in the second-half when we turned the game around but like at Millwall we conceded a very late goal and lost two points. I feel disappointed at the moment but I suppose an away draw against another promotion contender is a decent result.
BEFORE
I’m Christmassed out and ready for a return to comparative normality so today’s match is just what I need. Having battled back to win our last two games I’m trying not to expect too much from this afternoon’s encounter, though I can’t help but feel optimistic. Blackburn are just one place behind us but there’s currently a six point gap and I hope we’ll keep it that way as they also have a game in hand on us. They lost last time out, away to Millwall, but had won five in a row before that so we can expect another tussle. Danny Batth will probably be starting for them and I wish he was starting for us. Ballard won’t be available and apparently there are some doubts about Patto’s fitness so we’ll have to wait a few hours to get the team-news. Sheffield United play Burnley so obviously something’s got to give there and a draw would suit me. There’ll be over seven thousand of our fans at the game so the atmosphere should be intense. It’ll have to be SAFSEE for me and my match prediction is 2-1 to us.
I got the team-news at 2:30 it looked like just one change with Hume starting in place of Ballard. I got the commentary on and there seemed to be a lot of empty seats in the Blackburn areas but our end was crammed and buzzing. We were playing in red and white and that’s always good.
THE MATCH
Blackburn pressed us back for most of the first five minutes and they won the first corner of the game shortly afterwards. That led almost immediately to another corner and we got that one clear. We were hardly in their half in the opening ten minutes but our fans were still coming over loud and clear. Blackburn then set up the best move so far and it culminated with Dolan shooting over the bar. Dolan was soon causing us problems again and we went one-down when Ohashi fired home from three yards out. So, once again we’d have to come from behind and we hadn’t had a sniff of a chance so far. We won our first corner in the sixteenth and Pears in goal punched it away. We were managing the occasional attack but hadn’t had an effort on target as we entered the second quarter. Dolan had continued to be a threat and Cirkin was having problems staying close to him.
The first yellow of the game went to Ohashi when he fouled Neil and the resultant free-kick from almost thirty yards out led to our second corner. Pears again managed to punch it clear. Our first yellow went to Hume for a foul. The game had settled down after things had looked bad for us earlier and if we made it to half-time just 1-0 down that wouldn’t be too bad. Blackburn weren’t giving us much space at all. We won our third corner but Baker headed it away and then Hume conceded a corner at the other end. Blackburn had the ball in the net again but it was promptly ruled out for offside. In the dying minutes Mayenda forced another corner but the whistle went for a foul on Pears. Elsewhere Burnley had taken the lead against Sheffield United. There was just one minute of added-time and it remained 1-0 at half-time. We hadn’t really got going yet and it was going to have to be another second-half comeback.
Blackburn created a great chance through Ohashi in the opening seconds of the second period but we escaped. It was getting foggy around the stadium so if we went further behind, I’d be hoping for the game to be abandoned! Anyway, there’d been no changes but I expected us to make a couple before long if the score hadn’t changed. I wanted Aouchiche to be given another chance as he’d looked threatening in his recent appearances. In the fifty-first we created our best move so far when Roberts fed Hume and he passed for Isidor whose close-range shot was blocked. Rigg was in the right place to follow up from three yards out and it was 1-1. The goal was scored in front of our fans and they responded in kind. For the first time we had Blackburn on the back foot and in the fifty-fifth we were in the lead when Isidor broke his drought with a clever flick after good work from Roberts. I was hoping that fog would blow far away.
Blackburn were well rattled and they made a double switch around the hour-mark, bringing on Gueye and Cozier-Duberry for Ohashi and Hedges. I was glad to see the back of Ohashi even though he was on a yellow. Burnley had gone 2-0 up and it was looking like they’d get all three points. Mayenda stormed through their defence but his shot was way over, but like the rest of our side he was sounding much more lively than he’d been in the first half.
Twenty minutes to go and we needed to keep our heads and manage the game as the victory was within sight. We still hadn’t made any changes yet, though we’d been doing well enough with the eleven on the field. In the seventy-sixth we won a free kick and it ended with a Mepham effort going wide. Next thing Blackburn made another couple of changes as they tried to wrest something from the match. Rigg and Isidor combined well to set up a chance for Jobe but his effort went over the top. Ten minutes to go and Blackburn won another corner and a great block from Mepham kept them out. O’Nien was booked for a foul on Gueye, taking one for the team as commentator Benno said. Blackburn had come to life again and it was going to be a nervous final period. Rigg went down injured, to boos from the home fans, and he eventually hobbled off the pitch to be replaced by Aouchiche. Rigg had to be helped down the tunnel by our medical staff, hopefully it turns out not to be too serious.
In the ninetieth minute Blackburn drew level when we couldn’t clear the ball following a cross from Weimann and recent substitute Leonard smashed it home from close range. That was a sickener but there were still five minutes of added-time to get through. We had a great chance to nick the winner when Mayenda broke through with only Pears to beat but the goalie managed to get some contact on the ball. Mayenda really should have scored but didn't show enough composure one-on-one after running the length of the pitch. In fairness, it was the 93rd minute and he did well to out-pace the Blackburn defence to get into that position. But, that was that. Roberts and Aouchiche both had attempts on goal but it ended 2-2.
