Kristianstad 1 Blackburn Rovers 5 - Peter White's verdict

A TOUR which began in trauma ended in triumph here in Kristianstad last night.

Blackburn Rovers fielded their strongest team of the trip and were rewarded with the type of performance that showed just how much progress they have made in the past couple of weeks.

And, as Martin Dahlin threw down the gauntlet to record signing Kevin Davies with two stunning early goals, the £7.25million man responded in style.

There were just a couple of minutes remaining of Davies' third successive appearance as a substitute when he produced the sort of golden moment which prompted Rovers to invest that huge fee.

It brought his first goal for his new club with an exquisite chip and underlined the quality of attacking players Roy Hodgson could have at his disposal when the big kick off arrives.

For, with Chris Sutton in outstanding form terrorising defenders despite not getting on the scoresheet himself, Rovers looked full of goal potential.

Hodgson must have felt this past week as though he was trying to put together a jigsaw with all the key pieces having been left in a box back home. But he saw the fruits of his work start to emerge last night and, as a result, Rovers return home - to be further strengthened as injured players recover - in the highest of spirits.

Kristianstad were not the classiest of opponents, but they had tremendous physical presence and were full of pace and power - something akin to a Scandinavian Wimbledon.

Yet they were lucky to escape with only a 5-1 beating, highlighted by some eyecatching individual performances.

Despite so many players being back in Blackburn, Rovers had a familiar backbone to the side and it showed.

The presence in midfield of Tim Sherwood and Garry Flitcroft, plus the return of Stephane Henchoz at the back, gave them authority and a platform on which the younger players could prosper.

Jim Corbett and Damien Johnson did so again and Marlon Broomes looks better with every taste of senior action.

New man Darren Peacock has also slid comfortably into the side during this tour, although greater tests await the defence back home in England. Swedish Second Division club Kristianstad gave them as stern a challenge as they could have expected in terms of workrate, but the gulf in class between the two sides was the telling factor.

And it really was no surprise when Rovers took a 10th minute lead with the first of two exceptional strikes by Dahlin.

The move began with one of those mazy dribbles by Johnson. Sutton's shot was blocked but then Corbett played a delightful ball into space for Dahlin, fractionally to the right of goal, and his near post finish was explosive.

Two minutes later, and the Swedish supporters in a crowd more than four times their average, were hailing local hero Dahlin again.

This time, Corbett and Sutton made the running in midfield and the latter's pass picked out Dahlin who beat his marker beautifully before providing another clinical finish.

Within four minutes, Kristianstad surprisingly pulled one back, courtesy of a spectacular volley from just outside the penalty area. It came from Fredrick Persson after a corner had been cleared and it left John Filan with no chance.

But Rovers could quickly and easily have had more as the Kristianstad keeper began an individual battle with Sutton which was to continue throughout the game. Johnson clipped the crossbar with a header then had a goal surprisingly disallowed for offside.

It didn't take long however, for the third to arrive on 25 minutes.

Corbett was claiming the goal when his cross struck Andreas Karlsson and ricocheted into the net. "It was a cross shot," declared the youngster with a grin. But I'm afraid it must go down on the "OG" list.

Dahlin could well have had a hat-trick before half time as the over-enthusiastic linesman ruled out another effort and the Swede then missed a great chance.

But Rovers had ample reason to be satisfied with their 45 minutes work.

A couple of changes were made at the interval and, if they had dominated the first half, the second period was totally one-sided with the home keeper making at least five saves from efforts by Sutton alone.

The striker gave a terrific example of how to lead the line and it was remarkable really that we had to wait until the 78th minute for Rovers fourth goal.

This time it was Johnson who received all the credit for the assist.

The youngster went on a dribble through the middle of the Kristianstad defence, opening up huge gaps, and Flitcroft, making another of those surging runs to support, collected the perfect pass, went round the keeper and tucked the ball away. Davies had half chances to strike a fifth but it was not until two minutes from time that he set the seal on an encouraging night for Rovers.

Picking up the ball on the edge of the Kristianstad box, Davies quickly spotted his opportunity and chipped the ball delicately over the flailing arms of the keeper.

It was a classic strike which brought the crowd to their feet and the way in which Rovers' players celebrated the goal clearly showed they were delighted for their new team-mate.

A tour which threatened nothing but bad news ended on a high note with Hodgson understandably savouring the fact that he has so many players still to come back into contention.

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