Another great away day! And that's 11 games undefeated

With two games to go, Rovers had to simply keep on winning - a draw would not be enough. And it looked like Jordan Rhodes should have been awarded a penalty, but no deal for the visitors. However no fear, strike partner Rudy Gestede was on hand to give Rovers the opener a few moments later, heading home a Josh King cross. Paul Robinson was next to start - after Grant Hanley was adjudged to have fouled Marvin Sordell - but Robinson saved the penalty. They went in 1-0 up and other scores looked to be favourable. Five minutes into part two and Michael Keane's head did the job with a Craig Conway cross o make it 2-0, but moments later Sordell did get his goal to make it a nervy 2-1. No need to worry .. Tom Cairney was back in the starting line up, and back on the score sheet when he claimed Rovers 3rd in the 63rd minute. And that's how things ended with Blackburn having most of the possession and creating most of the chances. Gary Bowyer told the BBC;- "It was the second to last game of last season that we stayed up. A year later we have half a chance of the play-offs, so we have made a bit of progress. A hell of a lot of hard work has gone into it and we have got to make sure we continue that. Then we have an important summer because the club as a whole has quite a bit to do still."
Rovers moved up to 8th, with 3 points and rather a lot of goals needed when they play Wigan (who were beaten by Blackpool) on Saturday next at 12:15.
You will hear all every moment of that final home game LIVE with RADIO ROVERS on-air at 09:00 (26th April 2014)

Hat Trick Hero Gestede and 3 BIG points!

Rovers are now just two points outside a top 6 finish after a real game of two halves! The first all Rovers starting with an opener from Rudy Gestede in the 10th minute, then again 10 minutes later. Todd Kane made it 3-0 and in first half injury time it was Rudy again to make it 4-0 and his first Blackburn hat trick. It looked like Blackburn would continue to dominate a very poor Bimingham City - but they changed a few things after the break, and managed to pull two back through Nikola Zigic and Demarai Gray with just 7 minutes to go. But you could call it a very good day at the office, and Gary Bowyer told the BBC:- "I thought we were terrific first half. Our football was good and the big man, Rudy Gestede, was unplayable. He took his goals ever so well. We always knew Birmingham would come and fight in the second half and that is exactly what they did, although we were disappointed with the two goals we conceded. But overall we have come away from home and scored four goals, which must be pleasing. We are now unbeaten in the last 10 games. It has been a very busy period for us and the quality of the squad shone through against Birmingham as we lost four players from last Friday. Everyone played their part and we now have to see what happens on Saturday."
Brighton are now in 6th having collected a point in a 1-1 against Blackpool, while Nottingham Forest move up to 7th with a 2-0 win at Leeds. The result leaves City on level points with Pool, but in 21st place on goal difference. Rovers GD improved to + 5 , and it's 18th place Charlton Athletic on Saturday. Not a bad way to end the Easter weekend, but frustration that a win at home on Good Friday would have seen Rovers level with Brighton with 2 to play! (21st April 2014)

Two more points dropped - but Rovers go 9 undefeated

Blackburn Rovers manager warned fans that Yeovil would be one of the toughest games of the season, and despite the home side claiming 60% possession, and all the shots on target, they failed to break down their dogged defense. Yeovil fighting for Championship survival had already taken points of many of the top teams in the division , with tight marking and organisation. Jordan Rhodes came close and Rudy Gestede also looked likely, but when the final whistle went the home fans showed their disappointment and the penultimate home game saw two points dropped. Three games remain, and with favourable results elsewhere, Rovers remain 4 outside the top 6. Gary told reporters:- "Frustrating is the word I would use. Yeovil are fighting for their lives and, you never know, this might be a good point.You can only concentrate on the next game. Three more games of sheer excitement and twists for the fans. It is going to be entertaining. Our aim is to play Wigan on the last day with something to play for."
And Paul Robinson told RADIO ROVERS:- "We are frustrated but at the same time we are happy not to have lost. You can't class it as a good point, but you can class it as a point. We are frustrated, it is a game we wanted to win, especially at home. But we are where we are, with the other results today it might be just what we need at the end of the season. It wasn't through a lack of effort, it is not through a lack of trying or a lack of training, sometimes in football you get those games and you've got to give credit to the opposition. They needed the three points as much as we did but they were determined not to lose and they put their bodies on the line at the end. You can't criticise the lads for a lack of effort or application because every week you've seen that. We are unbeaten in nine games now, that is one thing you can't criticise. All the boys want to win the games, we want to get there, we want to win promotion, we want to get to the play-offs. We had it down as our toughest test and it proved that. We've now to concentrate on Monday and go to Birmingham and get the three points." (18th April 2014)

Not again! Rovers drop 2 vital points in 95th minute!

Rovers don't seem able to make the number 3 a lucky one! From having a 3-1 lead at Hilsborough, they managed to concede two second half goals to drop what looked like 3 nailed on points. An unchanged team started well with Jordan Rhodes opening their account after less than quarter of an hour. But they only held their lead for a further fifteen minutes, before Lewis Buxton beat Paul Robinson from close range. Then within the next five it was 2-1 to Rovers after Craig Conway found his fourth Blackburn goal assisted by Rhodes, and then just before the break Michael Keane added a 3rd - Jason Lowe with the cross. So 3-1 up - what could be better, and after the emotion of the 25th anniversary 7th minute start, after a brilliantly observed silence to honour the 96 lost lives, the emotion was all Blackburn's. The second half saw the home team get back into the action, and half of the half gone, it was game-on again when Atdhe Nuhiu pulled things back to 3-2 . Surely Rovers couldn't give away their lead completely? Five minutes of extra time was signaled, and with less than a minute to play Nuhiu beat Robinson again!! Manager Gary Bowyer admitted that scoring 3 away from home should amount to 3 points - and not a 3rd 3-3 draw. And on the clubs official website the manager added:- "You can't keep coming away from home like we do, scoring three goals and go away with only one point. It is nobody else's fault today except ourselves, I think against Millwall and Watford we had justification that it was out of our hands with the penalty decisions that were given, but today it has been totally our own doing. We've had enough chances in the second half to put the game to bed and then our defending, especially in the last minute of the game, was not good enough. We were trying to score another goal instead of being professional and seeing the game out. At both ends of the pitch we've not been good enough today." And he told the BBC "With four games to go we have just to try and win all four games and that's all we can do. If you look at the game as a whole we have had enough chances to win it. It was naive in terms of our defending towards the end of the game."
On a positive note - Blackburn have now gone eight undefeated with 3 wins and 5 draws .. the dream isn't dead yet! It's back to Ewood on Good Friday as the quest continues. (12th April 2014)

3 wins - 4 dsraws - undefeated in 7

It only took Rudy Gestede 8 minutes to get on the score sheet - picking up where he left off on Saturday. 3rd place QPR were expected to be a tougher test than Ipswich were, but it was defiantly a night for the men in Blue & White. The visitors could on muster one shot on target in the whole game, but Tommy Spurr settled Rovers fans nerves in the 48th minute to give Blackburn their second successive 2-0 home win. It was another night of great entertainment for the Ewood faithful, with just short of 13 thousand there to enjoy the last midweek game of the season.The result also moved Rovers to within 4 points of a play off place, and the manager told RADIO ROVERS the performance was "Outstanding". Talking after the game Gary Bowyer said:- "I think for an overall 90 minutes it was our best display of the season. We've had good 45 minutes and good patches of play, but for a full 90 minutes I think so. We started the game magnificently well and we continued that all the way through. We could have had more goals, but after a clean sheet and two good goals again, we're delighted. Saturday was very close but obviously today was even better for us. We needed it, we knew we would need it, and when we got it it settled everybody down. It was a well-worked goal, we got a bit of luck with it squeezing through but our build-up play was excellent. The players were outstanding, all of them." For a while Blackburn were up to 10th - but a late equaliser in their game gave Nottingham Forest an extra point and they moved up above Rovers on goal difference. QPR dropped to 4th and so the win also helped fierce rivals Burnley cement their place in 2nd . Just five games remain - but the play off dream remains a real possibility. (8th April 2014)

The second of three home games saw a clean sheet, and a first important win as Rovers still hope they might make the play offs. With 4 draws in the past 4 games - it was a 'must win' if the dream was to be kept alive. Manager Gary Bowyer told his team to stop conceding goals - but keep on scoring them .. they did! A slowish first half saw Rovers as the team creating most of the chances, but not breaking the deadlock. The second half looked more positive, and as last year, former Ipswich man Jordan Rhodes was first to score - and make it 50 league goals for this club - assisted by Rudy Gestede. The partner came close on a number of occasions himself, and was eventually rewarded when Craig Conway placed a cross from a set piece, and Rudy headed home. He was to collect the 'Man of the Match' award and Blackburn kept the first clean sheet since Reading in February. A happy Manager told RADIO ROVERS:- "I think a huge credit to our lads because they have done that today against a tough Ipswich team. You know under Mick McCarthy you are never going to get a moments rest and we had to match everything that Ipswich threw at us. I thought we were immense, especially in the second half, I think we went up another notch. I've nothing but praise because it has been a tough couple of weeks in terms of games and the turnaround. One or two of them were out on their feet at the end but they gave absolutely everything. It was a big effort from everybody, we are delighted."
Rovers remain 7 points outside the play offs with six games to go - and it's QPR at Ewood at 19:45 on Tuesday night (5th April 2014)

Another draw & another 6 goal thriller

For entertainment Rovers must be top of some league somewhere! 9 goals scored in the last 4 games - and now unbeaten in 5 - but tonight at Ewood they got a taste of their own 'late late show' medicine. Grant Hanley's Red card was overturned - so he was eligible and carried the captains armband. But it took only 16 minutes for Brighton to beat Robinson when David Rodriguez claimed the opener. That brought the game to life and Jordan Rhodes was back on the score sheet with and equaliser 8 minutes later - no. 21! Then just before the break Tom Cairney in his first start since recovering from injury, gave Rovers the lead with the help of Tommy Spurr. So 2-1 up at the break. But Blackburn had another slow start at the start of the second half, and it was former Rover Gordon Greer who made it 2-2 with 20 minutes to play. With time running out Greer gave away a penalty at the other end and Rhodes claimed his second (and 50th for the club) with what looked like the winner in the 85th minute. The celebrations hadn't died down when Brighton sub Dale Stephens did what Rovers had done at Millwall and Watford - claim a very late equaliser, and shatter the atmosphere at Ewood. Blackburn needed the win for a hope to reach the play offs - and the draw was a big disappointment. And again they'd conceded another 3 goals. Gary Bowyer told the BBC|: "We've scored eight goals in the last three games and not won. That's the disappointing thing. mediaWe've got to get back to the mentality of keeping clean sheets, which we've proved we can do, and piece it all together for the last seven games" No win since Huddersfield Town, and two more home games to come on Saturday and Tuesday (1st April 2014)