BLACKBURN chairman John Williams has backed the BBC's decision to employ their first ever female commentator on Match of the Day - and he hoped Jacqui Oatley would be announcing a Blackburn victory on her debut at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Oatley, 32, will be the first woman to take the microphone for a Premiership match in the programme's 43-year history.

And her first assignment is to commentate on Lawrie Sanchez's Fulham against Mark Hughes' Rovers.

Williams said: "I haven't got an issue with it at all. The BBC have a good track record and I trust their judgement.

"I hope Jacqui will always remember her first game as calling a Blackburn win."

And that view has been backed by Rovers legend Simon Garner, who has dismissed claims Oatley has simply leapfrogged her male counterparts because of her novelty value.

He said: "I don't mind her commentating on the game, it doesn't bother me. Nowadays there are plenty of men commentating on women's sports and I think she'll do just as good a job.

"I've done interviews before with Football Focus with women and they've been spot on. I don't think it matters as long as they know their stuff."

It won't be Oatley's first appearance on Match Of The Day - she has voiced the goals round-ups on their FA Cup highlights shows regularly over the past couple of seasons.

And it won't be her first commentary either - she made her debut on Radio Five Live covering the Championship match between Cardiff and Preston two months ago, having done several commentaries for their digital station, Sports Extra, before that.

Adam Lakeland, manager of Blackburn Rovers ladies, hoped it would encourage more girls to take up the sport.

He said: "I definitely welcome it. It can only be a good thing and I think it brings more equal opportunities to the sport as a whole. As long as I've watched Match of the Day there have always been male commentators, but women's football is growing all the time and it'll be nice to see a female face in such a prominent position. Hopefully it might encourage more female footballers to take up the game."

Despite the local support for Oatley's new role, at a national level the consensus is split on a female entering the male-dominated world of football with ex-Premiership manager Dave Bassett quoted as saying he's "totally against it".

But she has been backed by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Sports editor Paul Plunkett said: "This is certainly not a token move by the BBC. I've heard Jacqui several times commentating on Radio and she's there on merit. Quality should never have race or gender boundaries."

And our Burnley reporter Suzanne Geldard, who was the first female sports editor of the Greater Manchester Weekly Newspaper Group, added: "Why shouldn't she do it? I don't put myself in a category to be honest, I'm just a football writer and I don't think it should matter what gender I am, as long as I can do my job. I've never had any problems myself. Football is still a male dominated world and it probably always will be, but it's nice that women can make a breakthrough like this and I hope Jacqui's career goes from strength to strength."

Women involved in sports journalism is nothing new. The New York Times appointed a female sports editor as long ago as 1978; Gabby Logan is currently presenting Match of the Day; the Grand National was fronted by Sue Barker and Clare Balding; Maureen Madill and Beverley Lewis have been regular commentators on the BBC's golf coverage; and Virginia Wade has been commentating on tennis for many years.

Roger Mosey, Director of Sport at the BBC, said: "At BBC Sport we want to reflect the nation, and it's daft that we've had so few women commentators. It's something we want to put right.

"Overall we want our team to be modern, diverse - and excellent at what they do. Jacqui, like all our other commentators, has been selected on merit."