Rovers 1 Sunderland 0

IT might not be good for the heart but the spirit and fire that Brian Kidd's arrival has helped instil into Blackburn Rovers is certainly good for the soul.

Is it only seven weeks or so since he took charge? It seems like a lifetime.

For the second successive home game, Rovers won against all odds with 10 men.

I don't know if the manager plays cards but, if he does, no doubt he declares hearts are trumps every time.

And, once again, Kidd's first signing Keith Gillespie was the ace up his sleeve.

If nothing else, Rovers have restored pride back to those blue and white shirts, a firm belief that relegation fears can be cast aside and who knows how this dramatic FA Cup adventure might unfold.

Gillespie's golden boot put Rovers in the last 16, giving the ex-Newcastle winger the satisfying last word against the visiting hordes who had mercilessly jeered him.

And it clinched a remarkable win over super-confident Sunderland who dominated much of the game but failed to produce top-flight quality when it mattered.

For all their possession and and good work going forward, the runaway First Division leaders did not possess Premiership class in the final third.

Rather than red numbers, Rovers should wear a red cross, such is the extent of their absentee list. It was extended by the injury to John Filan just before half time. Happily it has not proved serious.

Before the game, they were down to the last 16 available seniors and some of those are still classed as 'juniors'.

And the crisis was compounded with Jeff Kenna picking up two yellow cards.

The manager had said, in the wake of his first defeat, that the next challenge was the big one. He must have been delighted by the response - though not particularly the performance, for Rovers have played far better than they did on Saturday. But he will sleep easier knowing he can rely on the troops to give everything, even when they have to make do and mend with a patched-up team.

Some of those out there, including matchwinner Gillespie and man of the match Stephane Henchoz, might not have played if there had been anyone else. But there wasn't.

Long term, Kidd has expressed his desire to introduce more flexibility to prevent Rovers being predictable.

Saturday's events would suggest it is already here as we saw three different sides in one game!

The first half was, frankly, awful. Though Rovers, having reshuffled their remaining resources, would be pleased at Sunderland's lack of genuine goal threat.

Sunderland had one real chance and they should have scored.

The mighty figure of Niall Quinn, who spent most of the afternoon directing balls with his head but not very effectively as it turned out, flicked a little volley over Filan. But you could tell from Quinn's reaction that it was going wide, albeit only just.

Rovers themselves took 42 minutes to get in a genuine threat on Thomas Sorensen's goal with David Dunn and Callum Davidson creating a half chance which Gillespie put off target as a defender challenged.

That, plus the loss of Filan, sparked a frantic end to the half with Gillespie suddenly a menace and Sunderland narrowly surviving an own-goal as well as a penalty appeal.

Kidd responded positively at half time, going back to 4-4-2 and sending on attacking re-inforcements in the shape of Nathan Blake. It almost paid off on 55 minutes when Blake seemed to be fouled by Paul Butler but the referee saw nothing wrong.

Still, at least we now had a real cup tie on our hands and Sunderland, who had enjoyed a bulk of possession but passed themselves to death in non-danger areas, suggested a threat.

There was some good defending and, when Ashley Ward screwed a shot just too high, hopes that the breakthrough might come soon.

But, in the 63rd minute, came the incident which seemed to have turned the tie Sunderland's way.

Kenna, booked early on, let Kevin Phillips get away.

He fouled the Sunderland forward and a second yellow card was produced before the red. There was nothing particularly dirty about the challenge, but there is no room for leeway these days.

The exit signs were flashing for Rovers, with a replay looking their best bet - though Sunderland, for all the good work of Quinn and Phillips, rarely looked like scoring a goal.

Instead, three sides of Ewood erupted in celebration four minutes later when Gillespie produced the one real flash of finishing quality.

Davidson's long throw was headed on by the tireless Ward, out by a defender, back in by Gillespie and Blake forced a save from the keeper by his left-hand post.

The ball rolled loose, just outside the corner of the six-yard box, and Gillespie hooked an unstoppable drive high into the net.

Sunderland responded with pressure against the 10 men but they never really convinced anyone they could score.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.