Blackburn Rovers must keep their squad together in January

Rovers ended a near 21-year wait for a victory over Preston North End at Ewood Park, a game that threatened to be decided by the conditions was eventually done so by a fine Ben Brereton header from an equally impressive Reda Khadra cross.

It was a rare moment of a quality in a game where the only thing free-flowing was the rain.

This was attrition over attraction, safety over skill and headers, lots of headers.

There was one more important than the others, Brereton getting the perfect connection to an inch-perfect Khadra delivery and when that nestled into the far corner eight minutes into the second half Rovers had something to hold on to.

From the freezing cold and gale-force gusts at Stoke City to the swirling wind and rain making for a drenched Ewood surface against North End, this was once again a day for dealing with the conditions.

They were as much of an opposition to Rovers as the visitors, and they got to grips with it much better in the second half to make it back-to-back 1-0 victories.

Rovers have now settled on a system, and side, that gives them something to move forward with. Thomas Kaminski apart, those waiting to come back into the side can’t be guaranteed a spot.

Belief is building, positivity growing, and Mowbray’s task is to find a balance between allowing the enthusiasm and excitement to run free but not letting those same players get ahead of themselves.

The average age of the starting line-up was 23.1. Were it not for Ryan Nyambe turning 24 on the day of the game it would have been the youngest side named by any Championship team this season. And that is a statistic that cannot be overlooked, nor that five of this side graduated through the Academy.

One of those, captain Darragh Lenihan, was the oldest outfield player at 27 and deserves huge credit for the way he is leading the side. So many big characters have left the club in recent seasons, personalities within the dressing room and experience totalling thousands of games.

Lenihan is growing into the role and doing so with real distinction. Mowbray too has galvanised a group who went without significant reinforcements in the summer but have sensed an opportunity and taken their chances.

And that is exactly what Brereton is doing infront of goal, now up to 17 for the season, with seven in as many games.

Rovers are performing way above expectation but it still feels as though there is more to come from this side.

They have leaned on their strong home form, this a seventh win in 11, beating all six of the teams from the bottom half of they have faced with only two goals conceded.

They certainly won’t be daunted by the run of games they have at their headquarters coming up either.

Bournemouth will undeniably be a test next up but they head south knowing they are doing so on the back of three successive wins, and clean sheets, and with players who can hurt any opposition.

They are learning on the job, but doing so quickly. Having squandered points from winning positions they closed this one out with on real alarms, bar a penalty shout against Ryan Nyambe for handball.

The ball appeared penned into the Preston half and when the ball was pumped forward there was a commanding Rovers head to clear.

Brereton would have sealed it before the end had Daniel Iversen not made a fine stop to deny the Chilean whose break forward was of his own making.

At the other end Aynsley Pears was coming in for a first Championship start in over a year in place of the injured Kaminski. A combination of some dogged determination infront of him and a North End side lacking in cutting edge, he was able to enjoy a relatively comfortable afternoon.

When required to make a save he did so, just after the half hour mark he moved sharply to his left to keep out a Ched Evans hooked effort from a low right-wing corner as Rovers looked to have switched off.

But for Preston to not manage a single attempt at goal in the second half was testament to how Rovers handled things after going ahead.

North End did have the better of the territory in the first half, the conditions seemingly suiting them more. John Buckley’s early darts forward were hampered by the sodden pitch, though Joe Rothwell didn’t have any such issues though Rovers couldn’t get him into the game as much as they wished.

Referee Gavin Ward did a good job of stopping him in full flight with a first half body check, his decision to give the ball to Preston after stopping the game saw Mowbray booked for his protests.

What that did do was add a little more spice to proceedings, Ward doing little to endear himself to the Rovers faithful, but it gave the crowd something to feed off.

A feeling of injustice at some of the decisions heightened the atmosphere and with that the Rovers players ran with it and took control of the game.

There was more intensity to their play after the break and it was no shortage of hard work that saw them over the line.

It was a win sealed with a huddle, the team embracing on the pitch and they lapped up every last bit of applause infront of a bumper home crowd.

It was a poignant moment played out in public, but this team didn’t need a post-match huddle to demonstrate their togetherness, we have seen that with the response of 13 points from a possible 15 since a 7-0 defeat to Fulham that threatened to derail their progress.

If anything it has refocused and re-energised them and the ingredients of a team fighting hard for the cause have all come together.

The biggest quality Rovers have is their bond and willingness to learn, this a team they must ensure stays together beyond January at all costs. Add, rather than take away, and a real opportunity awaits in the second half of the season.

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