Hoban’s lifeline for Rovers

THERE is still some work to do before Blackburn coach Tony Mowbray can update his status to saviour.

Three huge points from a late Tommie Hoban header will go some way towards it. Hoban is on loan from Watford and a defender but his connection on Connor Mahoney’s corner was as deadly as any striker’s.

Talk about silencing the City Ground. Forest have been sucked straight back into the relegation battle. The gap between safety and disaster is two points and nerves are twitching.

‘It’s a balance to get the adrenalin levels right,’ said Mowbray, whose side ended a run of three successive defeats.

‘Relegation to League One is a huge financial cut- off but you don’t want to make the players too nervous and put them under too much pressure.’

Whatever Mowbray said — ‘ nothing Churchillian’ — it worked. Blackburn deserved this win and Forest counterpart Mark Warburton agreed. ‘ We didn’t do enough,’ he said. ‘A good result could have given us breathing space but we’re in a fight now.’

Both managers know all about pressure from their times at Rangers and Celtic. On this evidence, Blackburn are handling it better.

Mahoney went close with a free kick while Elliott Bennett shot just wide. Forest’s best chance came chasing the equaliser when Britt Assombalonga was denied by a David Raya reflex save.