BOSS Owen Coyle hailed Blackburn Rovers’ resilience as they secured an important three points with a 3-2 Championship success over Brentford.


Rovers fell behind inside 30 seconds when Scott Hogan put the visitors in front but a Danny Graham brace turned the match around before Hogan pulled the Bees level.


Harlee Dean’s own goal after good work from Sam Gallagher turned out to be the game’s deciding factor seven minutes before the break and Rovers had to defend stubbornly under a late Brentford onslaught in the final quarter to extend their unbeaten home run to four.


And that defensive strength pleased Coyle, who was forced to field an all new back four with Charlie Mulgrew and Darragh Lenihan in the centre.


“I am so pleased for the players and the fans,” said the Rovers boss after the win which lifted his side to 22nd in the table. 


“It would have been easy after losing a goal after 30 seconds to feel sorry for ourselves but nothing could be further from the truth.


“We picked ourselves up and the football we played with the passing and moving was of a good quality. 


“We had to stand up and put bodies on the line. Charlie Mulgrew and Darragh Lenihan had to put blocks in and be brave and tackle. 


“That was really pleasing. That is probably the first time we have got over the line and won ugly. At other times we have not defended those instances as well as we should but we stood up to be counted. 


“The fans late on were brilliant because they recognised that the players needed that little bit of energy and a boost and that was important.


“There were so many positives. We were decimated by injury, I was delighted with how the players went about it and it is an important three points.”


Having fallen behind so early Rovers responded well and Coyle felt his side could have put the game out of sight in the first half having regained the initiative at 2-1.


“I think their keeper had two wonder saves at 1-0 to keep them in front,” added the Rovers boss. “We kept persevering with the quality of play in difficult conditions.


“We got ourselves in front at 2-1 and if truth be told we were going for 3-1 and 4-1 and looking to add to it and when you don’t get that next goal of course, at the level we operate at, you can get punished which we did.

“Having got in front and looking good we find ourselves tied at 2-2 and we have to pick ourselves up again which we did.

“When we came out for the second half we knew there would be some nervousness at different times but I don’t recall Jason Steele having any saves to make as such.

“They put an awful lot of balls in the box and they are a physical team so we knew we had to defend crosses at times and the way we did that was pleasing.”


And Coyle now hopes his side can put together an unbeaten run and start to climb the Championship table ahead of a testing run of games.


“Over a period of time we will not be in the area of the league that we are in,” he added.


“We will continue to get better and continue to move up. 


“We can start to be a good team in the Championship but the important thing is that you have to win games to back that up otherwise it is just talking for talking’s sake. 


“So days like this with the points and the performance certainly help to move that forward.”