WE NEED TO FILL THE LOVE
Mowbray in tiers as Rovers can’t let fans in
TONY MOWBRAY fears Blackburn’s promotion hopes could be hit by not allowing supporters back into Ewood Park because it remains in a Tier 3 area.
A late Jacob Davenport goal rescued a point for 10-man Rovers in front of 2,000 fans but there will be no supporters allowed in on Saturday when Blackburn entertain
Norwich. Playing behind closed doors has had a big affect on home advantage and boss Mowbray said: “The people are what makes football but it’s strange that some are allowed to have them and some are not.
“It’s the integrity of the league that I would question. We’ve seen the stats on home victories versus away victories – there’s been a huge drop-off in home victories in all leagues.
“We’ve all been craving to have the fans back and I’m a working-class kid whose dad was a steel worker who used to go and watch Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park.
“Supporters are the lifeblood. Ewood Park has four natural, divided stands. We could get 500 fans in each and the guy next to you would be 20 metres away.”
It was a particularly big day for Brentford as the fans (below) who were lucky enough to get tickets were the first allowed into the Brentford Community Stadium, having been denied a chance to say goodbye to their old home of Griffin Park at the end of last season. They should have been celebrating a win.
Joe Rothwell put Blackburn ahead but the match turned when Darragh Lenihan was sent off for pulling down Ivan Toney in the area, the striker scoring the penalty himself.
Sergi Canos’s thunderbolt gave Brentford the lead but
Davenport equalised three minutes from time. “It was very nice to have the fans here but it was not the full experience,” said Brentford coach Thomas Frank. “It will need to be a sell-out, and hopefully with a win.
“That will be the day that will think that we are back.”
I
BRENTFORD: Raya 5, Dalsgaard 6, Jansson 6, Pinnock 5, Henry 6 (Thompson, 81 4), Janelt 5 (Marcondes 46, 6), Dasilva 5 (Ghoddos 81), Canos 7 (Fosu 77 5), Jensen 7, Forss 6 (Mbeumo, 71 5), Toney 7. BLACKBURN: Kaminski 6, Nyambe 6, Lenihan 4, Wharton 6 (Ayala, 16 6), Douglas 6 (Bell, 46 5), Rothwell 7 (Davenport, 64 7), Trybull 5 (Buckley, 39 5), Johnson 7, Gallagher 6, Elliott 6, Armstrong 6 (Dolan, 63 6).