Inconsistency was the key word on an afternoon when Town showed what they can do for short periods but overall were unconvincing. The refereeing of Graham Poll was equally up and down and the official was booed off at the end.
Town fans were unimpressed that Matt Jansen's second half equaliser stood after a foul on Chris Makin before the official surprisingly disallowed a late Marcus Stewart goal.
Prior to the game a minute's silence was impeccable observed and fans heard a few words from Town's club chaplain.
The Blues lined playing 4-4-2 with Alun Armstrong coming in for his first start of the season up front. Jermaine Wright dropped to the bench, joining Richard Naylor, seemingly back from his spell in the Ipswich wilderness.
Town started the stronger and both Martijn Reuser and Matt Holland had shots on target. There was early controversy too when Tugay clattered Marcus Stewart as the striker ran into the box. A foul would have been harsh as the defender did appear not to be deliberately fouling Stewart.
It took only 12 minutes for Town to go ahead. Jim Magilton broke quickly from inside the Town half and brought the ball into Blackburn territory before playing Finidi in beautifully. The Nigerian lifted the ball over Friedel but it rebounded across the goal off the bar. Alun Armstrong following in had no trouble in placing the ball inside the post.
Early on it was all Town. Reuser was getting lots of the ball and the passes were being spread about with Magilton the man in control. Reuser went round a defender and tried to lay back the ball as he ran in along the goal-line, but Neill put the ball for a corner.
Titus Bramble could have added to Town's lead when he fluffed a header from a corner, before Hermann Hreidarsson had a more solid header well saved by Freidel. Bramble made one of his trademark runs thorugh from the back on 24. He exchanged a one-two with Finidi George but couldn't get the ball into a shooting position.
Matteo Sereni has so far impressed fans and in the 31st minute he pulled off two excellent saves. The first was from point blank range from Grabbi and the second was equally excellent from a subsequent shot.
In the 35th John McGreal made a good tackle on Grabbi when he was well placed for a shot at goal. Tugay was booked for a foul on Martijn Reuser who put his freekick wide.
Tugay himself must have been highly unimpressed with himself when he headed over at a corner after being left entirely unmarked in the box.
On 40 Graham Poll annoyed Town fans by preventing Martijn Reuser from taking a quick freekick. Last week at Leicester Town were beaten by such a manouevre, a goal Mr Poll presumably would have disallowed.
Late on in the half Brad Friedel made a good punch as Armstrong was about to meet it.
Town didn't really get going early in the second half. Sereni, looking a very good acquisition, made another fine save from Gillespie after good work from Duff. At the other end Finidi George hit a good volley at Friedel after Matt Holland had layed the ball back.
Hermann Hreidarsson was rather harshly booked when he collided in the air with Gillespie.
In the 53rd minute Blackburn went ahead. Chris Makin played the ball out of defence and appeared to be fouled by Grabbi. The ball broke to Tugay who played the ball to Jansen who looped the ball over the advancing Sereni. The Town defence looked to have paused expecting a freekick and Sereni hadn't really need to have come out as quickly as he had.
Town were not playing as well as they had and there was an increasing tendency to play the ball long. Bramble was booked for a foul on Grabbi as Blackburn tried to put themselves ahead. Town's wide-men were both quiet and there were a lot of Town passes going needlessly astray.
Another instance of Graham Poll's inconsistency ultimately saw Alun Armstrong leave the field unconscious. The Town striker collided with Alan Mahon in an incident very similar to that which earlier had seen Hreidarsson shown a yellow card. Although a freekick was given no card was forthcoming. Armstrong was treated on the pitch at length before being stretchered off and replaced with Richard Naylor.
In the 70th minute Marcus Stewart headed a Matt Holland cross wide.
Another mid-air collision saw John McGreal on the floor and this time it looked like the elbow of Matt Jansen had been involved. No card or freekick from Mr Poll.
On 75 Matteo Sereni was quick to a ball from Damien Duff which Matt Jansen would have easily played into the net before George Burley decided a switch was in order. Off came Finidi George, who had had a quiet afternoon, and on came Fabian Wilnis. The Dutchman went to right wing-back and Makin to the left as the Blues switch to 5-3-2.
Richard Naylor had a gilt-edged chance when Marcus Stewart played him in through the middle. Naylor tried to slip the ball over Friedel but the American saved it.
Not long from the end Martijn Reuser was booked for a foul before the fourth official held up the board with the length of injury time on it: 8 minutes, pretty much all down to Armstrong's injury.
Reuser was replaced with Couñago as Town sought a second goal with greater fluidity than previously. And Couñago did help Town get the ball in the net. He received the ball well inside the box, held off his man and turned the ball into Stewart's path. Last season's top scorer made no mistake and hit the net, only for Graham Poll to decide there was a foul by Couñago on defender Henning Berg. The decision looked harsh to say the least and following on from the penalty Poll gave against us at Sunderland you have to ask what Town have done to him.
Town continued to push in the remaining minutes, Hreidarsson was close with a header, Pablo hit a shot from distance but there was no way through.
A draw was perhaps the correct result, although Town could and should have done better. The second half saw a lack of width and too many long balls hit forward.
Sereni, Makin, Hreidarsson, McGreal, Bramble, Holland, Magilton, Reuser (Couñago 90), George (Wilnis 78), Stewart, Armstrong (Naylor 63).
Att 22,126.