Former Blues striker Jordan Rhodes netted just after the hour to see Town to a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in a scrappy affair at Ewood Park. There was little between the teams in a poor game with the only goal somewhat fortunate, Aaron Cresswell clearing off the line from Grant Hanley and Rhodes stabbing it over the line off Blues keeper Stephen Henderson.
Henderson came in for the injured Scott Loach in goal, the ex-Watford man having suffered a sprained thumb in training on Thursday. Other than that Mick McCarthy, back in the dug-out after his absence through flu last week, stuck with the team which beat Middlesbrough 4-0.
Ex-Blues striker Jordan Rhodes and former loan right-back Bradley Orr were included from the start in an unchanged Blackburn side, while DJ Campbell was on the bench.
The game started scruffily with neither team able to create anything or keep the ball particularly well in the opening 10 minutes.
It wasn’t until the 12th minute when there was any significant penalty area action, Tommy Smith flicking a Morten Gamst Pedersen freekick from deep out for a Rovers corner.
On the quarter hour, the Norwegian hit a 25-yard freekick into the Town wall after Cresswell had been harshly adjudged to have fouled Colin Kazim-Richards.
Marcus Olsson headed over and on to the roof of the net from a tight angle on the right in the 18th minute from his brother Martin Olsson’s deep cross from the left.
Town, in last season’s all black away kit, failed to make any impact going forwards until the 20th minute when a neat interchange of passes involving David McGoldrick, Carlos Edwards and Guirane N’Daw ended with the on-loan Forest man mis-hitting his cross into the arms of Rovers keeper Jake Kean when well-placed. Soon after, N’Daw hit a strike from distance but without testing Kean.
Rovers top scorer Rhodes spent several minutes off the field receiving treatment for a nosebleed and the resultant change of kit and the Blues began began to get the upper hand while the home side were down to 10 men. After Rhodes had returned, Aaron Mclean headed Cresswell’s corner from the left across the face of goal and wide.
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy shot wide for Blackburn after a corner had been half-cleared on the half hour mark with the game still to really get going.
Daryl Murphy moved up front alongside McGoldrick for the Blues as a dreary half moved into its final 10 minutes, Mclean switching to the Irishman’s left-sided role. On 38 Luke Hyam screwed a strike wide from 20 yards when he might have done better with Town now on top.
Cresswell hit a cross well beyond his strikers on 43 after Murphy, who had made an impression having been moved forward, had played him into a dangerous area on the left.
Few at Ewood Park will remember much about a far from entertaining half, although Town manager Mick McCarthy will have gone in the happier of the two bosses with the Blues in charge in the closing minutes of the period and with the home side having been kept quiet throughout.
Chances had been rare at both ends with Mclean’s flick from Cresswell’s corner perhaps the nearest either side had got to a goal.
Mclean scraped an early shot wide for the Blues with the second period starting in much the same vein as the first had ended.
Former Blues loanee, and still this season’s top scorer, DJ Campbell came on to make his Rovers debut in the 58th minute, replacing Pedersen.
Before the on-loan QPR man could make a contribution, his new side were in front. Danny Murphy’s corner from the right fell to defender Grant Hanley, whose shot was cleared off the line by Cresswell but the ball fell to Rhodes touched it home off Blues keeper Henderson.
Blackburn had hardly deserved the lead on the balance of the game up to then, but the goal gave them a bit more belief. On 73 Rhodes flicked a header wide from Martin Olsson’s cross.
The Blues had made little headway since going behind and it came as little surprise when McCarthy changed things around, Michael Chopra and Anthony Wordsworth taking over from McGoldrick and Mclean.
There was a scare for Town on 78 when Cresswell gave the ball away and Danny Murphy wafted a cross to the far post but Campbell could only head into Henderson’s arms.
After Kazim-Richards had picked up the game’s first booking, Frank Nouble replaced Edwards, who played a full 90 minutes for Trinidad in the Caribbean on Wednesday, for the final 10 minutes with Town having rarely threatened to get back on terms. If anything Blackburn were looking more likely to add to their lead. On 84 Markus Olsson volleyed wide.
As the Blues began to press for an equaliser, Campbell sent Rhodes away behind Smith but Henderson got across to his right to make an impressive save. Rovers took a short corner, which was sent back into the box for Rhodes, who headed wide.
Town came within a whisker of getting back on terms in the final minute of normal time. Wordsworth headed the ball down and N’Daw hit a left-foot strike from the edge of the area just wide of Kean’s right post . Moments later, Rhodes again went close with a header from a cross from the left when he probably ought to have hit the target.
The Blues had a golden chance to claim a point deep into injury time when Orr slipped allowing Daryl Murphy to cross from the left but Richard Stearman’s header back across goal flew well wide of the post.
There was a hold-up late on when Nouble clashed with keeper Kean as they challenged for an aerial ball and soon after referee Kevin Wright blew his whistle to confirm the Blues’ second away league defeat in a row.
In the end, the home side ought to have won more comfortably, Rhodes having missed a number of chances late on, but prior to their goal there had been little in a dull game with the Blues just shading it.
However, Town threatened all too rarely, not managing a shot on target all afternoon, although Mclean in the first half and Stearman late on will both feel they should have done better with their opportunities. N’Daw was unfortunate with his strike towards the end.
The result sees Town drop to 20th with Bolton, Bristol City, Barnsley and Peterborough all winning and are now only one point from the relegation zone.
Blackburn: Kean, Orr, Dann, Hanley, Martin Olsson, Pedersen (Campbell 58), Lowe, Murphy, Markus Olsson, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes. Subs: Usai, Givet, Fabio Nunes, Nuno Gomes, Morris, Goodwillie.
Town: Henderson, Stearman, Chambers, Smith, Cresswell, Edwards (Nouble 80), N'Daw, Hyam, Murphy, Mclean (Wordsworth 73), McGoldrick (Chopra 73). Subs: Lee-Barrett, Hewitt, Kisnorbo, Drury. Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire). Att: 14,342.