ROVERS passed their first real test under Tony Mowbray by snatching a result after falling behind to Cardiff City.

They had taken the lead in all three of their games under their new head coach, but trailed for much of the game at Ewood Park after Kenneth Zohore’s 38th-minute strike.

It looked to be a frustrating night for Rovers in front of goal, as try as they might, they couldn’t seem to find that elusive equaliser.

That was until the 90th minute when their efforts were rewarded as Derrick Williams’ first goal for the club earned them a vital point in their battle against the drop.

An unchanged Rovers side looked to seize the early initiative and saw plenty of the ball, happy to move it around their defensive and midfield thirds while waiting for an opportunity to come further up the pitch.

But efforts from Williams and Craig Conway – the first wide of the post, the second easy for Allan McGregor to collect – was all they had to show for their efforts in the opening quarter.

Sam Gallagher flashed a shot wide of the near post in the 26th minute after rolling his man on the edge of the box.

And the striker would go even closer to breaking the deadlock four minutes later.

He diverted Charlie Mulgrew’s inswinging free-kick goalwards on the volley, only to see his effort cannon off the bar and behind.

The first real signs of panic in the Rovers box came from a Greg Halford throw, which they scrambled away, before the same player headed a Peter Whittingham free-kick goalwards for Jason Steele’s first save of the match 10 minutes before the break.

And that was to be the start of some sloppy play from the hosts which would eventually see them fall behind.

Zohore, who had been in fine form for the Bluebirds coming in to this Championship encounter, hit the crossbar from another Halford long throw, before putting the visitors in front seven minutes before the break.

Rovers were punished for giving the ball away as Cardiff broke quickly down the right, with Zohore meeting a cross on the volley to give Steele no chance.

That saw Blackburn fall behind for the first time under Mowbray as they struggled to get in to full flow.

But they were denied what appeared to be a good shout for a penalty when Williams’ shot looked to hit the hand of Jazz Richards moments before the break. The second half started the same as the first, with Rovers seeing majority of the ball and Neil Warnock’s visitors happy to try to pick them off on the counter-attack.

Connor Mahoney and Danny Graham were sent on from the bench by Mowbray as Rovers pressed for an equaliser and began to crank up the pressure.

They came within inches of levelling two minutes before the hour mark as Liam Feeney’s header was blocked on the line after terrific work down the right by right-back Ryan Nyambe.

Graham almost scored with his first sight of goal as his half-volley whistled just wide of the post after holding off Halford. And he would have been certain to level in the 63rd minute had it not been for terrific defending from Richards.

The Cardiff man got himself between the striker and the ball, just when it looked like Graham could tap in to an empty net from Emnes’ cross.

It was becoming incessant Rovers pressure, though Steele did have to stay alert to palm away a well-hit Sol Bamba volley.

Bamba was becoming something of a rock at the other end, getting in the way of countless Rovers shots, including a thumping Mahoney volley.

Their pressure would eventually tell in the 90th minute as Williams forced the ball in at the far post from inside the six yard box.

And with the two sides below them – Wolves and Bristol City – also picking up a point, while second-bottom Wigan won, it could prove to be a vital strike from the full-back.