Rovers talking points as wait for a substitute goal goes on

PROMISING PARTNERSHIP

Rovers fans had wanted to see Lewis Holtby in the team and got their wish at the fourth time of asking. Mowbray found a way of getting him and Bradley Dack in the same team, with the German playing off the right flank.

It was from there that he ghosted in to the box to tap home a Dack cutback and returned the favour with an assist for his partner before the break.

Holtby will reflect on a first half chance dragged wide from a neat Bradley Johnson pass as a chance to put the game to bed, but the way him and Dack linked up together was promising.

Dack finished last season strong, working well with Joe Rothwell, and with another creative force to bounce off, he looked back to his lively best.

Here’s hoping Holtby can be the man to get the best out of Dack who remains their main goalscoring source.

FAILING TO KICK ON

Rovers are now two wins from seven Ewood games, with this their third draw.

In their two defeats, to Charlton and Luton, they conceded first but battled back to draw level. But when it was expected they would push on in search of a winner, they were the ones undone and conceded the third goal.

They led against Nottingham Forest, only to be pegged back midway through the second half as they were again when Huddersfield became the fifth visitors to Ewood to leave with something.

Unfortunately, Rovers haven't been able to find that extra gear, or goal, in the closing stages to force their way to three points.

Mowbray was disappointed with the final 20 minutes in the defeat to Luton and here, they offered precious little by way of goalscoring threat, with the two attacking subs of Sam Gallagher and Joe Rothwell adding little to the party.

One second half cross from Adam Armstrong in particular had Mowbray putting his hands to his head, with no-one there to get on the end of it.

BENNETT SHUFFLES ACROSS

For all the talk of who would replace Greg Cunningham, Elliott Bennett moving from right back to left back would have been well down the options.

But the boss was left with few other alternatives with Amari'i Bell becoming the latest Rovers defender to succumb to a knee injury.

That allowed Ryan Nyambe to come in to the side and he offered promise down the right. After a shaky start, which saw him concede a controversial penalty, Bennett did get to grips with the tricky Adama Diakhaby, but not a natural down that side, he wasn’t able to offer much by way of going forward.

Bennett was fortunate not to escape a booking late on, that would have ruled him out of the Birmingham game. He will do well to avoid another booking in the next seven games, so when that does come, it will afford Mowbray an even bigger headache.

SUBSTITUTE STRIKES

A substitute is yet to score a goal in the league for Rovers this season. They only managed six last season, the last of which came when Craig Conway scored in a 4-2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in March.

Juninho Bacuna, in contrast, has three himself in Huddersfield’s last three games. The midfielder needed just six minutes to come off the bench and rescue a point for his side, having netted seven minutes after coming on against Hull before the international break and the winner at Stoke having been on the pitch nine minutes.  

In games that are tight, as they so often are in the Championship, substitutes can make such a difference. And despite Rovers’ problems in defence, they still were able to fill a bench that included Danny Graham, Sam Gallagher and Joe Rothwell.

The only goal Rovers have scored in the final 10 minutes of matches so far is a consolation strike from Adam Armstrong at QPR.

The changes brought criticism from some fans, including the decision to take off Lewis Holtby, with Mowbray pointing to a lack of match action being behind his withdrawal. But Rothwell couldn’t provide the same spark Holtby had, his contribution somewhat subdued, possibly as a result of an agricultural tackle he was on the receiving end of from Jonathan Hogg.