Sub Sindre Walle Egeli’s first goal for the club grabbed a last-gasp point for the Blues as they drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers in the restaging of the match abandoned in September. The Lancastrians went ahead in the 76th minute through Andri Gudjohnsen and looked to have seen out a deserved second Championship home win of the season until the Norwegian curled in a late leveller in the 94th minute.

Town made five changes from the side which lost 2-1 at Oxford United on Friday. Into the team came Ashley Young, Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom, Jack Clarke, who was making his 50th league appearance for the Blues, and Ivan Azon with Darnell Furlong, Walle Egeli, Marcelino Nunez, Jaden Philogene and George Hirst all dropping to the bench.

Jacob Greaves, sent off in the fixture curtailed in the 80th minute in September due to a waterlogged pitch, was also among the subs, as was Jens Cajuste, back in the 20-man squad following his ankle injury with Cameron Humphreys missing out.

Blackburn named an unchanged team from Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wrexham but with club captain Todd Cantwell, who scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the first running of the game, back on the bench after a knee injury.

Town began the game on the front foot as rain, perhaps a little ominously, began to fall. The sparse Rovers crowd made their thoughts regarding the EFL’s decision to replay the fixture clear in song in the opening minute.

Blackburn created the first chance, Ryan Alebiosu crossing from the right and
Gudjohnsen heading down to one-time Rovers loanee Christian Walton’s left, the keeper claiming confidently.

Within a minute, Alebiosu pulled back to Taylor Gardner-Hickman in space on the edge of the area but the former Birmingham man was closed down by Kipre and his shot looped over.

On 14, McAteer was sent away on the right by Azor Matusiwa and sent a low ball across the edge of the six-yard box but too far in front of Azon.

In the 19th minute, with the rain getting harder, and one or two players having been slipping since the start, Blues skipper Dara O’Shea made an important interception, heading a Ryoya Morishita cross from the right over the bar.

Following the corner, the ball was sent back across from the right and Lewis Miller slid in at the far post but too late.

Town got into a mess passing out from the goal-kick, Walton failing to find Taylor, who appeared to lose his footing as Alebiosu challenged but the former Arsenal youngster wildly missed the target with his shot.

The majority of the game was by now being played in the Blues’ half and in the 26th minute Town lost possession and Kipre was forced to foul Yuki Ohashi just outside the area. The free-kick was wasted by Gardner-Hickman, who struck the wall with an effort which appeared to lack in any conviction.

The Rovers fans loudly booed Akpom after he went down requiring treatment as the half-hour approached, referee Oliver Langford having already stopped play for a couple of Town head injuries.

Once play restarted, Ryan Hedges cut back from the left to Morishita on the edge of the box but his effort was blocked by Jack Taylor.

Leif Davis hit Town’s first shot of the game in the 34th minute, following good work from McAteer, but sent the ball deep into the Rovers fans behind the goal.

Three minutes later, Azon went much closer, moving to the front post as Davis’s right-sided corner was whipped in and flicking a header just over the bar.

Town continued to give the ball away with all too great a regularity with Blackburn not that much better.

On 39 Blackburn appealed for a penalty when Ohashi went to ground having lost control of the ball to Matusiwa as he burst into the area, referee Langford rightly waving away the protests.

Two minutes from the scheduled end, Azon won a physical battle when very much second best and after his shot was blocked, the ball reached Clarke on the edge of the area and his strike deflected through for a corner.

Following the flag-kick, the ball was sent back in and Rovers counter-attacked quickly, Morishita getting behind Matusiwa, who inadvertently clipped his ankles around 35 yards out to the left. Much to the anger of the home fans, referee Langford issued only a yellow card with the distance and Davis retreating at pace down the middle persuading him not to show a red.

The free-kick was wasted and moments later the half ended with the Ewood Park support loudly booing referee Langford as he left the field.

Having started positively, the Blues’ performance had drifted alarmingly with Rovers looking the more likely scorers for the most part.

Town had been scruffy with the ball given away all too easily and having created little other than Azon’s flicked header from the corner.

They also might well have ended the half with 10 men with plenty of referees seeing Matusiwa’s foul on Morishita as a red card offence rather than a yellow.

It was little surprise that there were changes for the Blues at the break, Taylor and Azon making way for Cajuste and Nunez with Akpom moving into the number nine role.

Town won an early corner which came to nothing, then Davis was booked for a foul on Gardner-Hickman, who then joined him for a late and painful-looking tackle on McAteer.

Ten minutes after the restart, a deep Blackburn corner from the right was nodded back into the six-yard box by captain Sean McLoughlin and Kipre headed clear. On 56 Rovers swapped Adam Forshaw for Sidnei Tavares.

Town had been little more threatening than in the first half but, just before the hour, Kipre strode forward into the area before hitting a shot which Aynsley Pears batted away.

But Rovers had continued to look the more dangerous side and on 61 Walton was forced to save down at his post from McLoughlin’s back-post header, the home side winning another corner before the Blues were able to get out, referee Langford awarding a free-kick to Town for a foul on the edge of the box, halting a promising break.

Gardner-Hickman blazed over from distance on 67, then Town made another double change, Hirst and Philogene replacing Akpom and McAteer with Clarke moving to the right. Four minutes later, Cantwell took over from Gardner-Hickman to a big cheer from the home fans and Moussa Baradji came on for Morishita.

Rovers had looked the more threatening team throughout and in the 77th minute they went in front.

A corner was whipped in from the left by Cantwell, George Pratt flicked it on towards the far post and Gudjohnsen lost his man to nod into the net.

Ahead of the restart, the Iceland international was replaced by Makhtar Gueye and Hedges was swapped for Dion De Neve.

Town set about looking for an equaliser, Walle Egeli taking over from Matusiwa with Clarke moving to number 10 and Nunez into midfield.

On 82, Cajuste turned and shot on the edge of the area but sent the ball just over the bar.

In the 86th minute, the Swedish international was fouled on the edge of the area, but Nunez hit the wall with the free-kick.

The home side looked to be seeing out the final minutes but in the fourth and final minute of time added on, the Blues levelled.

Nunez hit a long ball forward to Davis, who stumbled. Cajuste tapped to Philogene, who moved it across the 18-yard line to Clarke, who in turn fed Walle Egeli and the Norwegian curled a superb low shot past Pears and just inside the post to send the Town fans behind the goal wild.

There was no time for Blackburn to respond and referee Langford blew his whistle to finally end the two-part fixture.

In truth, the Blues can count themselves very fortunate not to have fallen to a second away defeat in five days

Town were poor throughout with Blackburn, who went into the game with the second-worst home record in the division, would have deserved the three points had they hung on for a few seconds more.

Having looked like they were getting into more of a rhythm and growing in confidence, the Blues’ recent performances have been disjointed with too many players still seemingly still trying to find their feet, both at the club and in their roles.

Walle Egeli’s last-gasp equaliser claimed a point which sees Town move up to seventh, a point from the play-offs and five from the top two ahead of a home double-header against leaders Coventry on Saturday and fourth-placed Stoke next Wednesday.

Blackburn: Pears, Alebiosu, Miller, McLoughlin (c), Pratt, Hedges (De Neve 78), Forshaw (Tavares 56), Gardner-Hickman (Cantwell 71), Morishita (Baradji 71), Ohashi, Gudjohnsen (Gueye 78). Unused: Michalski, Ribeiro, Henriksson, Atcheson.

Town: Walton, Young, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa (Walle Egeli 80), Taylor (Cajuste 46), McAteer (Philogene 67), Akpom (Hirst 67), J Clarke, Azon (Nunez 46). Unused: Button, Furlong, Johnson, Greaves. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands). Att: 13,142 (Town: 2,728).

Photo: Reuters