ROVERS manager Graeme Souness found himself having to deal with a string of dramas before yesterday's home clash with Everton.
Goalkeeper Alan Kelly was a last minute absentee from the Blackburn bench at Ewood Park yesterday after his wife survived a horrific motorway crash.
The keeper was replaced on the bench for Rovers home crash with Everton by under-19 squad player Ryan Robinson as the Irish international raced to Staffordshire.
That got the day off to the worst possible start and things hardly perked up for Rovers manager Graeme Souness as the afternoon progressed as first Andy Todd became the latest player to fall victim to the Ewood injury curse when he tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up.
Then Rovers lost for the first time in six Premiership games courtesy of a first half winner from Kevin Campbell following on from Thursday night's UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Celtic.
"All in all, it wasn't a good day," said Souness. "We had a bit of drama before the game because Alan's wife was involved in a car accident, so he wasn't on the bench, and then Andy Todd warmed up and felt his hamstring so we had to change that at the last minute.
"So we ended up having to throw Stig Bjornebye in with just 15 minutes to go before kick-off."
Once again, Rovers enjoyed the lion's share of possession but they couldn't convert that dominance into goals as Everton's recent revival continued.
"We made two errors defensively. One led to a goal and the other led to a save from Brad but other than we did nothing wrong defensively," said Souness.
"At this level, though, that's what you get punished for.
"We dominated the game and after 10 minutes it could have been two each but after that we were just settling into a pattern where we were just starting to pen them back when they got their goal.
"But credit to the players, they kept going and in the second half we totally dominated proceedings although, if I have one criticism, then it's we didn't make the goalkeeper work hard enough.
"We put so much effort in and played so much good football, I'm sure the players will wake up and look at the league table and think what might have been."
Meanwhile, Souness revealed that he left Dwight Yorke on the bench for tactical reasons, not because of injury.
"That was just to give us a little bit of something different," added the Rovers boss.
"I've got thoughts on what I need up front and that's why Egil played."
Rovers' Under 19s lost 4-1 in their top-of-the-table clash with Newcastle at Brockhall on Saturday. Andy Bell was the man on target for the home side.
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