Glovely stuff!

And, with a positive response to the shock FA Cup exit badly needed, they were not found wanting.

Fears that confidence may have taken a crucial knock in midweek were dispelled in one glorious first-half instant when Lars Bohinen illuminated a grey day with a golden moment.

The Norwegian - gloves still on as protection against the biting cold - strode supremely through the wide-open spaces in the Sheffield Wednesday defence to latch onto Henning Berg's pass, completely baffle keeper Chris Woods and stroke home Rovers' all-important second goal.

Golden gloves indeed!

It wasn't the first, or last, important Scandinavian contribution on an afternoon when Rovers' football didn't flow as smoothly as it often has done in the Premiership at Ewood this season. But, decisively, they were highly effective. Professional perhaps, rather than ultra-polished. But that, as we know, is necessary over the course of a season.

And you can hardly argue with the margin of victory against a Sheffield Wednesday side who promised much in the early stages but clearly flattered to deceive.

Owls boss David Pleat admitted afterwards that his club lacked enough "direct" players.

It's all well and good weaving pretty patterns. But you have to make it count. Rovers did, Wednesday didn't and there lies the basic difference between the two teams.

I also felt that, tactically, Wednesday got it wrong - epitomised by the second goal. Their two wing-backs, either side of the three central defenders, were found out in the first half, with Rovers exploiting the space, especially on their right where Stuart Ripley tormented Dejan Stefanovic.

That was also the target area, just inside the Serb, that Bohinen attacked to such good purpose to clinch the game as early as the 31st minute.

For that's what the Norwegian's goal did. True, if Wednesday had managed to pull one back before Kevin Gallacher's third, Rovers might have rocked a little. And the visitors did threaten to do just that.

But how many teams rescue a two-goal deficit at Fortress Ewood?

Bohinen's inspiration and Gallacher's long-awaited moment of glory were cause for great celebration. Rightly so.m

Yet it was - inevitably - Alan Shearer who once again paved the way to a vital victory.

This man simply seems to mark every milestone with a goal and he did it yet again.

Shearer's 100th consecutive Premiership appearance, since he played his first full League game - against Wednesday! - after recovering from major surgery, was just the sort of stage he loves. And, once again, he didn't disappoint.

Wednesday clearly felt there might have been a hint of offside about his opener. It was impossible to judge from our angle. Besides, only days before he had been denied a goal for an alleged foul.

If this latest effort was in doubt the phrase swings and roundabouts springs to mind.

With the standard of linesmen in the game at the moment, there is always going to be argument and debate.

They flag furiously over millimetres when Tim Flowers places the ball to take a goal kick, yet often contrive to get it wrong by yards when looking at offside decisions.

And Wednesday had no real complaints.

It wasn't the greatest of games but Rovers looked a team with their minds set on doing a job and Wednesday seemed a team who might score several goals on a good day and concede a few on a bad one.

That was the distinct difference which summed up the gap between them in the table. The first half produced a flatteringly bright start from the Owls and a host of corners, a remarkable 11 of them to Rovers.

In fact, at times, the corner kicks were like animals going into the Ark - they seemed to come along two by two!

But the turning point in the game came with Rovers' first goal.

Bohinen began the move, running at the Wednesday defence before finding Tim Sherwood, who had taken over David Batty's spot and soon slipped into top gear.

A first-time ball to Ripley and the winger played for time before his marker genrously allowed him space for the cross.

It was one of those Shearer has always thrived on, low into the six-yard box between defenders and keeper, and the striker darted in to whack it past Woods with that trusty right foot.

Three minutes later, while Wednesday perhaps were keeping an eye on the dangerous Ripley, Berg strode forward to play a perfect pass down what they term these days the inside-right channel. Bohinen was away into the penalty area, in acres of space, gave everyone a dazzling display of his version of Fred Astaire's footwork and stuck the ball low past Woods for the second.

Cool defending by Colin Hendry kept out the skilful Marc Degryse at the start of the second half after Wednesday had reshuffled their ranks.

The starting formation of 3-5-1-1, with Chris Waddle playing a free role behind lone striker David Hirst, had to be scrapped in the circumstances.

Rovers' attacking threat wasn't as potent in the second half, though Gallacher left the crossbar shaking with one excellent effort. Hirst had been something of a threat for the Owls early in the game and was guilty of a bad miss on 78 minutes. But, with Niklas Gudmundsson enjoying his first taste of senior action as a substitute, it was Rovers who scored again to finish off any thoughts of a late Wednesday revival.

It was a goal with a real international flavour.

Sweden (Gudmundsson) to Norway (Bohinen) from deep in Rovers territory, then on to England (Shearer), whose shot was blocked. But Scotland (Gallacher) was waiting to take over.

He neatly got round the nearest defender before clipping the ball expertly over the keeper. It was a well-taken and celebrated goal.

Both Wednesday's much-vaunted Serbs, Darko Kovacevic and Stefanovic had roles in the game.

But it was Ewood's foreign legion who took the honours. Once they had been given the lead by the best of English.

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