ROVERS: A sheepish Ram raid from toothless Blackburn

THE Premiership year ended for Blackburn Rovers as it began, a goalless draw away from home - hardly indicative of the drama and turmoil of an eventful 12 months in between.

But any similarities between the first match of 1996 at Elland Road, a turgid stalemate, and Saturday's point plucked from the Baseball Ground, finished with the scoreline.

There's still no getting away from the fact that the team's position is distinctly fragile compared to the beginning of the year when times were happier and thoughts of a European place uppermost.

But at least their display against Derby County provided more than just a shred of hope and optimism for the immediate future.

No doubt the message that Sven Goran Eriksson has a decent chance of joining a club still in the Premiership will have filtered back to Italy.

For, in many respects, Saturday's performance was their best away from home of the present campaign.

That might not be saying much, considering Rovers have yet to win a Premiership game on opposition territory this season.

But surely that elusive victory cannot be too long coming if they can repeat this form. There were, however, two recurring themes which ensure the uneasiness about the team's predicament remains.

The first is the firepower factor.

Rovers simply aren't scoring the goals that their possession and general play should be producing.

They were Ram raiders without any real bite and desperately need the likes of Chris Sutton to find the scoring touch to match his all-round play which has been excellent.

Second was the word on everyone's lips at the end of the game - dogfight.

It summed up the scenario facing both clubs as the New Year arrives.

Halfway through the season, Jim Smith and Tony Parkes readily acknowledged their teams are set for a real second-half scrap for survival.

And, despite arguably the best chance of the game in the closing minutes, Derby would certainly be the happier with a point.

A Baseball "grind" was anticipated in view of the obvious tensions.

Yet, for much of the game, Rovers were remarkably composed and, particularly in the second half, looked a class above Derby. But the festive finish was absent.

The continuing failure to cash in on superiority has produced a plethora of draws away from home when, if only two or three of them had been turned into victories, the club's position would give much more cause for comfort.

This game was a perfect example.

Such was the command - again! - of centre backs Colin Hendry and Henning Berg that Shay Given, handed the keeper's jersey because of another niggling injury to Tim Flowers, was able to claim a clean sheet with some ease.

The midfield trio had the upper hand to the extent that the home team's wing backs were reduced to full backs in a five-man rearguard, primarily committed to defence.

And Rovers' three lively raiders, especially Kevin Gallacher, kept them occupied.

But if you fail to capitalise when you are on top there is always the danger that one chance out of the blue can ruin an afternoon's work.

That almost happened - twice in the dying minutes.

For the most part, Rovers had their minds on the job and should have won.

Perhaps the biggest threat to their command came in a 72nd minute incident between Sutton and Igor Stimac when they clashed off the ball.

Both camps agreed afterwards that it was a case of handbags at 10 paces and referee David Elleray solved the situation by showing a yellow card to both men. The incident, however, served to fire up the home crowd and, to a lesser degree, the home team, making life a little uncomfortable in the later stages.

That was unnecessary, for there was no way Derby should have looked like winners, at any stage.

Rovers might have been ahead at the interval, even though the scurrying Dean Sturridge - for once escaping the chains put on him by Rovers' central defenders - had rattled the crossbar with an opportunist effort.

Berg seemed to have a case for a penalty as he was clearly pushed going for a header, and Gallacher had a volley well saved.

Derby keeper Russell Hoult's finest moment came when he stopped a Sutton header bound for goal after Gallacher had produced a peach of a cross.

In the second half, Rovers clearly dominated.

Jeff Kenna struck the angle of post and bar after a great run at the heart of the Derby defence and Sutton was also denied by the woodwork.

But the home team took heart from still being level and, in the last five minutes, almost made Rovers pay for not finishing them off.

Five minutes from time, the enigmatic Aljosa Asanovic for once stayed on his feet but saw Kenna bravely block his shot.

Then Chris Powell suddenly appeared completely free in the penalty area only to fire wide with a great chance to win the game.

It would have been undeserved, but you have to make your own luck and that means scoring goals.

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