Boss Mick McCarthy felt the international break had an effect on Saturday’s first half with both teams playing as if they’d just had a fortnight off. The Town manager thought his side were on top after the break even before the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
David McGoldrick netted his fourth goal of the season from a 65th minute freekick after Matt Kilgallon had been red-carded for the second of two fouls on Conor Sammon, but Ben Marshall curled in a late, late equaliser for the Lancastrians.
"I just thought the game in the first half looked like we’d all had two weeks off and we needed a lung opener,” McCarthy said.
"We were the better team in the second half, not by a great deal on chances, but certainly when they were down to 10 men we should have put it to bed.”
McCarthy was forced into one or two changes of personnel with Daryl Murphy - who hopes to return to training today - missing out with an achilles injury, Luke Chambers and Teddy Bishop through illness and Luke Hyam with a hamstring problem.
Stephen Hunt came in for his first appearance of the season and Kevin Bru made only his fourth start of the season, while Jonny Williams (ankle) and Jonny Parr (groin) have been suffering with niggles during the break.
McCarthy felt Hunt - who writes a column for the Sunday Independent in Ireland - got more into the game as it progressed: "Hunty was great, he got better and better. I think one or two of them looked like they needed a game.
"I’m not making any excuses, I haven’t said anything about players being missing, but Hunty’s come back from a long lay-off and he got better.
"Kevin Bru’s not played a lot, Jonny Williams has been injured, Jonny Parr as well, although you wouldn’t notice because he was up and down like a blue-arsed fly.”
The Town boss also had praise for Tommy Smith, who came back into the side for skipper Chambers: "Tommy’s great, Tommy’s a fabulous lad. I’ve said it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make to leave him out.
"Tommy had a great header, which on another day that might have found the roof of the net.”
Loanee striker Sammon has said the team spirit at Town is comparable to Derby’s last season as they reached the play-offs and McCarthy is delighted with the mood within the camp.
"The spirit’s always a lot better when you’re winning,” he said. "A sure-fire way of putting the kibosh on that is getting beaten three or four times on the bounce. We have got a good team spirit, I think it’s important.”
Regarding Blackburn’s last-gasp equaliser, he added: "All of them battled but after 90 minutes we lost it in the box, we lost it in the middle third and we just let them off the hook.
"I feel for the lads because they put such a lot of effort in. They’re such a good group of lads.”