ROVERS 3

(Dack, 45) (Armstrong, 68, 90)

BLACKPOOL 0

An Adam Armstrong double set Rovers on their way to a 3-0 win over Blackpool at Ewood Park.

The Newcastle United loanee netted midway through the second half and once more before the final whistle as Rovers maintained their five point advantage at the top of the table.

The first-half was something of a struggle, with Rovers edging ahead moments before the interval as Bradley Dack headed home his 15th of the season from a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick.

Blackpool had their moments, Derrick Williams and Danny Graham denying them in each half with goal-saving blocks, but Rovers chalked up a valuable three points, and a much coveted clean sheet in the process.

Rovers made one change, reverting to the side which won at AFC Wimbledon, as Jack Payne replaced Corry Evans.

They looked lively in the early stages, with Bradley Dack stinging the fingers of opposition goalkeeper Joe Lumley within four minutes. After collecting a nod-down from Danny Graham he fired a rasping half volley goalwards from 25 yards, but straight at the ‘keeper.

The visitors, winners at both Wigan and Portsmouth within the last month, were beginning to settle in to the game however and almost took the lead in the 14th minute. Viv Solomon-Otabor got a cross in for the left which was deflected through to Nathan Delfouneso whose goalbound effort from six yards was superbly blocked by Derrick Williams

From the resulting corner, Rovers were slightly fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty when the ball struck the hand of Graham.

Prior to the corner they were forced in to an early change as Ryan Nyambe suffered a muscle injury. Corry Evans was his replacement, with Elliott Bennett moving to right-back.

Payne, still waiting for his first Rovers goal, fired goalwards in the 20th minute but never looked confident on his right foot and dragged his shot wide of the target.

A few misplaced passes were creeping in to the game, only adding to the nervous tension among the home fans.

Sean Longstaff pounced on a loose ball to stride forward towards the Rovers box, though his shot never looked like troubling David Raya as the half hour mark was reached without a goal.

Dack continued to look the most likely to spark something for Rovers and would go close with 33 minutes on the watch. His quick free-kick allowed Bennett to cross towards Graham and after his header wasn’t cleared, the ball fell to Dack on the penalty spot where his effort was deflected over by Curtis Tilt.

February’s player of the month for League One, Adam Armstrong, had been rather subdued in the opening 36 minutes. But he came to life with an excellent run across the edge of the box to collect Evans’ pass, though his attempted chip over the keeper never looked threatning.

Moments later the pair tried to link up again, but this time Armstrong as the provider, however his header across goal was didn’t get the touch it needed from Evans as Lumley held on.

A half that had given the home fans little to get excited about looked set to end goal-less. But just as the amount of allotted injury time was being read out over the tannoy Charlie Mulgrew whipped in a free-kick which Dack attacked at the near post, finding the corner with his header for his 15th of the season.

That brought relief around Ewood Park as Rovers went in to the break ahead.

The second half resumed without any changes for either side, with Corry Evans and Kyle Vassell having their names taken by the referee in the opening five minutes.

Derrick Williams headed over another inswinging Mulgrew free-kick as Rovers looked to press home their advantage.   

Blackpool certainly weren’t out of it though, Otabor and Delfouneso in the wide areas carried a threat, as the former showed when he skipped by Bennett in the 58th minute, only to see his shot blocked by Lenihan.

The game remained tight as the hour mark ticked by, Blackpool pouncing on a poor Smallwood pass to break, with Vassell glancing a Colin Daniel left-wing cross wide of the target.

Soloman-Otabor whizzed a cross along the Rovers six yard line, with no-one there to turn it home as the visitors continued to show their threat.

But Armstrong eased those nerves somewhat his sixth goal of his productive loan spell. Having fired well wide just moments before, he picked his spot from slightly closer in to bend a Dack pass in to the far corner with Lumley rooted to the spot.

He tried his luck again five minutes later, though this one wasn’t quite so well guided, firing well over the top.

Craig Conway was Rovers’ second change, sent on moments after the second goal, and he had a

Blackpool were gambling the game as Rovers switched to a back three for the final 15 minutes, relying on good blocks from Williams and then Smallwood to deny Dan Agyei and Longstaff respectively.

They would go agonisingly close to setting up a grandstand finish, Graham well placed on the line to clear a Tilt header from underneath his crossbar.

And Armstrong was to continue his goalscoring run, netting his second of the afternoon and seventh of the season in the final minute, guiding a Bennett cross in to the bottom corner.

Rovers: Raya, Nyambe (Evans, 15), Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Bennett, Smallwood, Payne (Conway, 68), Dack (Bell, 74), Armstrong, Graham

Subs not used: Leutwiler, Downing, Antonsson, Samuel

Blackpool: Lumley, Turton, Tilt, Robertson, Daniel, Ryan, Spearing (Gnaduillet, 69) Longstaff, Delfouneso, Solomon-Otabor (Philliskirk, 75), Vassell (Agyei, 75)

Subs not used: Mafoumbi, Taylor, Aimson, D’Almeida