THE pre-match onfield 'huddle' by the players, to do a bit of bonding, underlined the point that it was more about team focus than individuals as Blackburn Rovers took the first stride on the road to rehabilitation.

But it was impossible to ignore the fact that new boy Egil Ostenstad had taken just 97 minutes to equal the total League goal output for a season and a bit from the man he replaced in a Rovers shirt, Kevin Davies.

And the Norwegian striker needed only 45 minutes more - plus a slice of luck - to beat it!

Whatever the reasons for two-goal Ostenstad's almost immediate impact and his predecessor's complete lack of it, the main thing was that Rovers claimed the three points that will, hopefully, kick-start their season.

They thoroughly deserved it too against a Norwich side who lost another key player, Phil Mulryne through serious injury.

But no-one need talk to Brian Kidd about long-term injury problems.

And the manager himself must take some credit for a long-awaited victory which ended a miserable sequence of 11 winless matches since Wimbledon were beaten on March 20.

For, with injuries still dogging his midfield selection, he opted again for his less-favoured 4-3-3 and saw it reap dividends.

Kidd, supposedly under pressure, didn't do badly either with his substitutions - Keith Gillespie's surprise introduction just after half time clinching the points within a couple of minutes. With three strikers of very different styles taking the front roles, they always looked capable of causing Norwich problems.

The goalscoring glory fell to Ostenstad but the work put in by Ashley Ward was a vital ingredient and Matt Jansen gave them another dimension.

Years of experience at the back provided a platform, midfield put in overtime and it looked as though they had learned some lessons about how to succeed at this level after a depressing start.

Rovers have long been at their best when they hunt in packs, closing down quickly, and that's just what they did at Carrow Road.

There are other battles to be won first before any superior qualities can be brought into play.

Norwich were badly hit by the serious injury sustained by the unfortunate Mulryne. It was the kind of accident which can happen at any time and a low foul count demonstrated how unlucky he was.

But, overall, Rovers had their sleeves rolled up ready to battle for the points which is an attitude they are going to need more often than not this season.

Perhaps it was the 'huddle' that did the trick.

"We'll have to do it every game now," laughed Ostenstad.

Kidd himself had no knowledge of its origins, but Ward explained.

"It was something the lads got up between themselves really, we wanted to get focused, know we were all doing the same things together and create a bit of spirit.

"Lee Carsley suggested it. We used to do it a little bit at Derby and it makes sure everybody is up for the start.

"And I thought we did actually start the game very well. The first 20 minutes was probably our best spell."

So can we expect it every week? "I don't know, perhaps we should do it every 20 minutes," grinned Ward.

Rovers were certainly focused and when a long free kick was headed on by Ward, Ostenstad held off his marker to toe poke the ball past the keeper and give them their first lead of the season as early as the seventh minute.

Mulryne's injury cast a cloud but, while it served to fire up Norwich, they had little real quality about their attacking play and it was Rovers who should have scored again before half time. David Dunn's header, which flew just wide, and three good saves by Andy Marshall from Jason Wilcox, Matt Jansen and Ostenstad meant the margin stayed at one goal.

But it took only seven minutes of the second half for Rovers to score again, thanks partly to the little bit of luck they have been lacking.

Simon Grayson's long throw was headed out, Keith Gillespie fired in a goalbound shot and it deflected off Ostenstad to beat the keeper.

Then came the expected Norwich fightback. They piled on the pressure but found the Rovers defence stubborn to say the least with Craig Short and Grayson often in the thick of things.

And their own crosses into the penalty area rarely looked good enough to beat the back four and goalkeeper.

Having ridden the storm, Rovers could easily have scored again. Wilcox forced another fine save while Ostenstad was denied a hat-trick by a desperate intervention. If he had scored then, it really would have been three 'n' easy.

The closest Norwich came was a slip by Simon Grayson which let in Lee Marshall to fire wildly over and a far-post shot from the same player which went into the side netting.

It wasn't brilliant by Rovers but it was good, and enough to claim the points.

So, what was said in that pre-match huddle? "It's a secret," smiled Ward.

But, if it works, who cares.

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