Blackburn 2-1 Town - Half-Time
Saturday, 2nd May 2015 13:14

Daryl Murphy put the Blues ahead in only the second minute but Jordan Rhodes and hit back late in the half to make it 2-1 to Blackburn at half-time. As the scores stand at the break Town will finish fifth and will face Middlesbrough in the play-offs.

Jay Tabb's return to the left of midfield in place of Stephen Hunt was the only change to the Blues’ starting line-up, while Noel Hunt was back on the bench after his knee injury in place of Luke Varney, who was unavailable against his parent club. Richard Chaplow, fit again after a groin problem, also returned to the 18 for Elliott Hewitt.

Blackburn handed 19-year-old keeper David Raya only his second start for the club, while at the other end of the scale 35-year-old one-time David Dunn, who is moving on this summer, was included in the XI and given the captain’s armband.

Ex-Blue Rhodes started but Paul Taylor was ineligible as he is still technically a Town player.

The game couldn’t have started any more perfectly for the Blues, who began the game requiring just a point - or two results elsewhere to go their way - to confirm their play-off place.

As the clock ticked over into the second minute Bishop won a corner on the left. Tabb whipped the ball over and Daryl Murphy volleyed into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

It was the Irishman’s 26th league goal of the season with Ted Phillips (28) and Ray Crawford (33) having been the last Town players to hit more than that total.

The 2,000-plus Town supporters in the Bryan Douglas Darwen End went wild and were still cheering as their side went close to carving out a second, but Tabb’s low cross from the left was just behind Murphy and Freddie Sears.

The home side, who would finish ninth regardless of the result, seriously threatened for the first time in the sixth minute when Rudy Gestede screwed his shot well wide after Tyrone Mings had failed to clear a Craig Conway freekick into the box.

Two minutes later, the Benin international headed straight to Bartosz Bialkowski from Tommy Spurr’s long throw from the right.

But the early stages were mainly Town and skipper Luke Chambers wasn’t far from adding a second when he rose highest to get his head on another Tabb corner from the left but the ball flew over.

On 12, Spurr did well to slide in ahead of Sears as the striker looked to latch on to a low ball in from the left from Murphy.

The former Colchester man wasn’t far away from netting his 10th goal for the Blues on the quarter hour when he struck a shot from a very tight angle on the right which rookie Blackburn keeper David Raya tipped onto his bar and out for a throw, although referee Graham Scott erroneously gave it to the home side.

Neither team seriously threatened again until the 28th minute when Lee Williamson hit a shot off Mings and wide following a corner. A minute later, Christophe Berra got in a toe as Rhodes sought to turn a cross from the right goalwards.

Rovers saw more and more of the ball in the latter stages of the half with the Blues seemingly content to allow them to take the game to them. And in the 36th minute the home side pulled level with the goal coming from an unsurprising source.

Conway sent over a freekick from the left and Rhodes headed home his fourth goal in five games against his old club.

Rovers continued to press having got on terms and on 39 Cole Skuse was booked for a foul on Conway on the right. From the freekick, Dunn’s shot was blocked, then Mings got in the way of a Rhodes effort.

But on 42 Blackburn made their pressure tell and increased the stress levels in the away end. Spurr’s long throw from the right was flicked on by Gestede and Conway arrived at the far post to hit a low shot across Bialkowski and into the net to make it 2-1.

Just before the whistle Bialkowski did well to paw away Gestede’s header, although referee Scott awarded a freekick for a push. The Polish keeper collided with the post and required treatment as the players made their way off.

Having made the perfect start to the game when Murphy scored, the Blues had continued to push for a second.

But gradually, they allowed the home side to take control, dominate possession and then score their two goals from set pieces to turn the game around. It promises to be a very nervy second half for Blues supporters with Town currently hanging onto their play-off place by the skin of their teeth.

Blackburn: Raya, Henley, Lenihan, Spurr, Olsson, Conway, Evans, Williamson, Dunn (c), Rhodes, Gestede. Subs: Eastwood, King, Brown, Cairney, Marshall, O'Sullivan, Nyambe.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Mings, Skuse, Parr, Bishop, Tabb, Sears, Murphy. Subs: Gerken, Anderson, S Hunt, N Hunt, Fryers, Chaplow, Bru. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire).

Photo: Action Images

Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.