Town will face East Anglian rivals Norwich City in the Championship play-off semi-finals after a 3-2 defeat at Blackburn and results elsewhere saw the Blues finish sixth. Daryl Murphy put Town ahead in the second minute but goals from Jordan Rhodes, Craig Conway and Rudy Gestede saw the home side into a 3-1 lead before Murphy netted a late penalty.
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.
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.
Tabb was booked for a foul on Rhosdes, then 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.
Ahead of what promised to be a very nervy second half for Blues supporters, with their side fifth at this point and potentially meeting Middlesbrough in play-offs, Stephen Hunt replaced Tabb on the left of the Blues midfield.
Hunt was presented with the first decent chance of the second half after being teed-up by Sears on the left of the area following a break also involving Bishop. However, the sub blazed well over.
As Brentford went 2-0 in front at home to Wigan to push Town into sixth and closer to a play-off against Norwich, Blackburn threatened again. Markus Olsson crossed from the left and the ball fell to Rhodes, but Bialkowski was equal to his shot.
On 54, with Town having so far made little headway aside from Hunt’s chance, Paul Anderson replaced Jonny Parr on the right of midfield.
Three minutes later, Olsson sent over an awkward bouncing ball from the left with Blackburn continuing to look the more threatening side.
A minute later, Town’s afternoon got even worse. Conway crossed from the left, Mings’s clearing header hit Bishop, cannoned to Gestede on the edge of the six-yard box and the striker gratefully stabbed past Bialkowski.
Mings created an opportunity for Murphy on the hour, sending over a cross from the left after a zig-zagging run but this time the Irishman was unable to manage to strike his volley cleanly and Williamson slide the ball away ahead of Bishop.
Two minutes later, Hunt cut the ball back ahead of Murphy, then on 63 the Town top scorer rose in front of Raya as Mings sent a cross in from the left but headed over.
Blackburn claimed, with very good reason, a penalty in the 64th minute when Mings tripped Adam Henley as the right-back broke into the area on the right. Fortunately, referee Scott waved away the protests and the Blues broke, Sears smashing a shot over from the left.
As the game moved towards its final 20 minutes Hunt won the ball on the left and fed Sears inside the area, the striker cutting the ball across towards Anderson. Keeper Raya initially mishandled before claiming ahead of the Blues’ sub.
On 72 Hunt sought to make the most of a poor Raya clearance, feeding Sears on the left but Williamson got across to divert the ball behind.
Town should have pulled a goal back a minute later when Mings powered Bishop’s corner from the left goalwards. Raya did well to block but couldn’t hold on and a bouncing loose ball fell to Sears, who smashed over from five yards.
The Town support erupted into cheers as news of Reading’s second goal at Derby filtered through, calming their nerves significantly, then Murphy cut the ball back across goal from the right but somehow the ball managed to evade all his team-mates.
Rovers were only inches away from making it 4-1 in the 77th minute when sub Josh King superbly controlled and then volleyed the ball against the underside of the bar from 25 yards.
Sears had another chance to pull a goal back two minutes later when he broke into the area on the left but shot well over.
But in the 82nd minute, the Blues did make it 3-2 from only their third penalty of the season. Bishop skipped into the area and was felled by Spurr as he dived in, referee Scott having no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Murphy, who saw the only other spotkick he’d taken this season saved at Leeds, smashed his 27th goal of the league campaign into the net.
Ted Phillips (28) and Ray Crawford (33) were the last Town players to hit more than that total in Town's First Division championship-winning 1961/62 season.
With two minutes remaining, the Town fans were on their feet once again as Reading increased their lead at Derby to 3-0 to all but seal the Blues’ place in the play-offs and put the tin hat on a remarkable second half of the season collapse by the Rams.
As the match moved into injury time Murphy flicked a header from a Chambers throw to Raya but there was to be no equaliser and Town’s final game was to end in defeat.
However, with results elsewhere going in their favour that mattered little with the Blues’ place in a huge play-off semi-final against third-placed Norwich confirmed.
Town will face the Canaries in the first leg at Portman Road next Saturday (KO 12.15pm) with the second leg at Carrow Road the following Saturday (KO 12.15pm).
Blackburn: Raya, Henley, Lenihan, Spurr, Olsson, Conway, Evans, Williamson, Dunn (c) (Marshall 76), Rhodes, Gestede (King 72). Unused: Eastwood, Brown, Cairney, Marshall, O'Sullivan, Nyambe.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Mings, Skuse, Parr (Anderson 54), Bishop (Bru 84), Tabb (S Hunt 46), Sears, Murphy. Unused: Gerken, Anderson, N Hunt, Fryers, Chaplow. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire). Attendance: 16,869.