ROVERS 2

(Best OG, 31) (Graham, 90)

CHARLTON 0

ROVERS made it six consecutive league wins as a Leon Best own goal and late Danny Graham header was enough to see them beat Charlton Athletic at Ewood Park.

Best scored against his former side on the half hour mark after getting his head to a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick in to his own net before Graham wrapped things late on. 

Rovers weren’t at their best and had to show plenty of resilience to see the game out, as well as being grateful to an excellent David Raya save.

The win leaves them still one point outside of the automatic spots but continued their excellent recent form.

A flat start to the game saw neither side really assert any real dominance. Josh Magennis and Billy Clarke blazed efforts wide and over David Raya’s goal from distance in an opening 15 minutes which brought few goalscoring opportunities.

But three good moves down their left hand side in the space of five minutes saw Rovers threaten an opener. The first from Marcus Antonsson came after he pounced on the loose ball before delivering a cross which Bradley Dack just failed to get on the end of. That was the same story when Craig Conway looked to attack a Derrick Williams delivery after a driving run from the full-back with Dominic Samuel felt he was impeded when trying to attack another Antonsson cross moments later.

Dack fired wide from the left edge of the box as Rovers began to enjoy more of the ball as Charlton were forced in to an early change which was greeted by boos from the home stands as Leon Best replaced Billy Clarke.

So there could not have been a more popular Charlton head to nod Charlie Mulgrew’s inswinging free-kick beyond Ben Amos than Best. He managed something that he couldn’t in his three years a Rovers player and score at Ewood Park as Rovers took the lead on the half hour.

Five minutes later they should have doubled that advantage. A corner routine which they have worked well in recent weeks saw Antonsson meet a Dack corner though Williams was unable to turn the ball home from inside the six yard box.

The powerful figure of Josh Magennis, who was switched to the left following Best’s arrival, was always going to be a threat for the visitors, though he could only find the side netting with his header from a Jake Forster-Caskey corner in the 38th minute.

Conway had been tasked with adding more goals to his game by Tony Mowbray and his eagerness to get on the scoresheet saw him go for goal from 25 yards when sliding in Antonsson looked the better his option. His shot was too close to Amos who gathered, while the keeper was grateful to pounce on a loose ball moments later when Williams was just unable to get the desire contact when meeting Conway’s cross on the stretch.

And so Rovers were to take a 1-0 lead in to the break but only after a huge let-off. Best and Mulgrew challenged for a long ball forward which landed at the striker’s feet and he slipped in Ben Reeves. But clean through hand the goal at his mercy, David Raya, who had done well under the high ball prior to that, guessed right and saved the shot when really the attacker should have given him no chance.

A more open start to the second half so both sides looking to push men forward.  Dack saw a shot deflected wide for the hosts while Conway miscued a volley wide of the target.

But Rovers were indebted to a fantastic Raya save to keep their lead intact. He moved quickly across to his right to palm away Ben Reeves’ curling effort and was quickly to his feet to deny Best’s follow-up, though the striker was to be flagged offside.

Charlton were enjoying their best spell of the game as a Forster-Caskey corner forced Downing to clear from under his crossbar after Pearce beat Raya to the ball while Reeves shot tamely in to the arms of Raya.

Mowbray sent on Danny Graham and Joe Nuttall in a move to a front two as a reaction to the visitors’ bright start to the half with Antonsson and Samuel the two to make way.

But it was still the visitors enjoying the better of proceedings as Rovers sent on Willem Tomlinson with the game moving in to its final quarter.

However, Rovers did miss a great chance to wrap things up with 14 minutes to go when Tomlinson sent Conway clear with the pass of the match but after breaking in from the right flank he couldn’t find the far post from a narrow angle.

Rovers were having to defend plenty of crosses in to their box, with Raya claiming many of them with some good aerial catches, while he did well to hang on to a Forster-Caskey volley after he was teed up by the chest of Best.

But Rovers were to add to their lead before the end as Danny Graham scored his sixth of the season, heading home at the far post following a Joe Nuttall cross as the two subs combined. 

Rovers: Raya, Nyambe, Downing, Mulgrew, Williams, Smallwood, Evans (Tomlinson, 69), Conway, Dack, Antonsson (Nuttall, 59), Samuel (Graham, 59)

Subs not used: Leutwiler, Caddis, Ward, Harper

Charlton: Amos, Solly, Konsa, Pearce, Dasilva, Aribo, Forster-Caskey, Marshall (Ahearne-Grant, 78) Reeves, Clarke (Best, 26), Magennis

Subs not used: Jackson, Phillips, Dodoo, Sarr, Lennon