GARY Bowyer paid tribute to Blackburn Rovers after they put a week of ‘negativity’ behind them with a 2-0 home victory over Charlton Athletic on Saturday inspired by Jordan Rhodes.

The prolific striker netted a first-half double as Rovers returned to winning after back-to-back defeats for the first since March stretched their winless run to three matches.

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It also went some way to lifting spirits after the club were hit with a transfer embargo for breaking Financial Fair Play rules.

Rovers boss Bowyer said: “I’m delighted with the players. We had some negativity in the press this week with the Financial Fair Play and the fact that we had lost two games on the trot.

“You’d have thought we hadn’t won for 10 seasons the way some people were talking about us but it made us stick together and we came out fighting.

“The only disappointments were Jason Lowe’s injury and the fact it wasn’t more because we should have been more than two up after our first-half performance.”

Lowe, on what was his first start since August 30, asked to come off in the 49th minute after feeling pain in the foot in which he suffered a stress fracture.

Bowyer said: “We’ll assess him more as the week goes on but I’m disappointed for him because I thought he was excellent for us with his energy and his ability on the ball – he was terrific.

“It is the same foot but whether it was a kick or a twist, we’ll have to find out.”

Lowe played a major part in what was a massively improved performance from Rovers without the ball.

“Our intensity in our game was magnificent, we never let Charlton settle and we were able to control the game,” said Bowyer, who was particularly pleased to see his side keep their fourth clean sheet of the season and their first in nine matches “We’d lost two games on the trot and we’d analysed what we’d not done particularly well and what we had to improve on.

“We certainly felt that (pressing) was one area we could up our game and we certainly did that. Our pressing game was excellent.”

That was most evident in the sixth minute when Shane Duffy, still up from a set-piece, won the ball just outside the Addicks box.

It broke to Ben Marshall and he played in Rhodes to put Rovers in front for the first time in six matches.

Bowyer said: “The first goal was a great team goal, fantastic pressing from Duffers, an excellent pass from Ben and Jordan finished it magnificently well.”

Charlton have now failed to win any of their last five games but it was only their fourth defeat of the campaign.

“I think, especially in the first half an hour, we were not good enough,” said Addicks boss Bob Peeters, “We had a lot of info on how they play and the first two goals were exactly how they like to play and what they are all about.”