ROVERS 1
(Dack, pen 87)

QPR 0

Bradley Dack scored his ninth goal of the season from the penalty spot in the dying minute as Rovers beat QPR 1-0 at Ewood Park.

A game which was riddled with niggling fouls and an over sensitive referee was decided by a penalty as substitute Ben Brereton was brought down.

Dack picked himself up to send Joe Lumley the wrong way in a tight game as Rovers moved up to eighth in the table.

Mowbray made six alterations from the side which drew at West Brom, with Darragh Lenihan returning in central defence as Charlie Mulgrew missed out through injury.

Jayson Leutwiler replaced David Raya in goal, while there were also recalls for Amari’i Bell, Corry Evans, Adam Armstrong and Danny Graham.

Graham had a golden chance inside the opening minute after the ball ran kindly for him inside the box. His left foot shot was on target, but too close to Joe Lumley who saved well with his legs.

The ‘keeper was fortunate shortly afterwards as he lost the ball when sliding out of his area, but the ball wouldn’t sit kindly for Graham as he tried to control Armstrong’s cross with Lumley stranded.

Massimo Luongo and Richie Smallwood were booked early in to the game for stopping respective counter attacks, as referee Peter Bankes, and his assistants, took centre stage with a string of bizarre decisions.

That included a late decision to award QPR a free-kick 20 yards out for a supposed foul by Smallwood, though Nakhi Wells could only curl tamely over the bar.

A theme of annoyance towards the officials from the home stands continued 10 minutes before the break, as Amari’i Bell was sent sprawling in the box after collecting Armstrong’s pass, with the verdict being a corner, and not a penalty kick.

Rovers needed to try and gain a foothold in a half which continued to drift, as Jayson Leutwiler continued to be a spectator  in the Rovers goal. Though he was grateful to see an effort from the classy Luke Freeman drift wide of his right-hand post as Smallwood could only head a left wing cross in to his path 20 yards out.

The half would end though as it did the first, with a good chance falling to Graham.

Bradley Dack had been shackled closely, sometimes too closely for his liking, but sent his strike partner clear with a neat flick, only for Graham to steer his left foot shot wide of the near post.

Both managers resisted the temptation to change at the break as Rovers tried to up their intensity.

Inside the opening five minutes of the half they forced good defensive blocks as both Graham and Reed fired goalwards from inside the box as again the ball didn’t sit kindly for them.

Armstrong looked Rovers’ main attacking outlet down the left, but a series of crosses came to nothing as the hosts tried to force the issue.

That brought an attacking change just after the hour as Kasey Palmer replaced Smallwood as Reed moved infield.

Graham and Dack were both finding it increasingly tough going against a QPR side chasing a fifth clean sheet in six matches.

There was a heart in mouth moment at the back though in the 68th minute as Jake Bidwell’s cross was headed by Williams on the back of Lenihan and drifted wide of the post with Leutwiler unmoved.

Rovers were becoming a little ragged in their desperation for a goal, and needed a good block to stop Wells’ shot from a well worked corner troubling Leutwiler.  

Mowbray opted for Armstrong in attack for the closing 17 minutes as Joe Rothwell replaced Danny Graham,

QPR went an alternative route, sending on the imposing figure of Matt Smith for Eberechi Eze who had squandered a good opening moments before, skewing a shot wide from the left edge of the box after Lenihan was robbed of possession.

The visitors were beginning to sense there might be something in the game for them as it ticked on, with Rovers continuing to toil on the ball.

Brereton was sent on with 11 minutes to play, and had a big influence on the game as he won Rovers a penalty with three minutes to play, going down under the clumsy looking challenge of Jake Bidwell.

With no Charlie Mulgrew, Dack took up the honours, sending Lumley the wrong way with three minutes to go.

Rovers saw out the game without any scares to record a sixth win of the season.

Rovers: Leutwiler, Bennett, Lenihan, Williams, Bell, Smallwood (Palmer, 62), Evans, Reed, Dack, Armstrong (Brereton, 79), Graham (Rothwell, 73)

Subs: Fisher, Nyambe, Rodwell, Conway

QPR: Lumley, Rangel (Furlong, 87), Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell, Wszolek, Luongo, Scowen (Chair, 89), Freeman, Eze (Smith, 74) Wells

Subs not used: Ingram, Hall, Cousins, Osayi-Samuel