RAY Harford was left to face up to an unenviable statistic as Blackburn Rovers' position worsened at the foot of the Premiership.

Failure to beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday meant Rovers have now registered their worst-ever start to a League season.

The previous low point came 35 years ago, at the start of the 1951-52 season, when Rovers finally won a Second Division match at the 10th attempt.

They also went on to drag themselves out of relegation trouble. From their 10 Premiership games so far, they have managed only four draws and not a single victory.

The manager, however, was not dissatisfied with a point from Hillsborough.

Asked again about his own position, after his comments following the Arsenal game, he stressed he was more concerned about addressing the club's position. "The situation where we had only three points from nine games and now four from 10 is the one which concerns me," he said.

"But there are a number of clubs around the 11-point mark and with a couple of victories the whole picture could look completely different."

Rovers' problem, of course, is where the next win is coming from.

The Premiership is the principal worry, though their attention will be diverted tomorrow night when Stockport County visit Ewood in the Coca-Cola Cup.

It's important that Rovers retain an interest in the Coca-Cola and they certainly cannot afford the sort of damage to confidence that a shock result might bring.

With a tricky trip to West Ham coming up on Saturday, followed by home games against Liverpool and Chelsea, there is not going to be any easy way out of the present crisis.

While their present record is the worst ever from the start of a season, Rovers' longest-ever run without a League victory stands at 16 matches.

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