Pisano on the mark in gr-eight late show
SUPER-SUB Eros Pisano kept Bristol on course for a play-off spot with a late winner at Ewood Park.
The Italian defender bundled home from Callum O’Dowda’s 80th-minute corner for only his second strike of the season.
Lee Johnson’s side have now chalked up eight wins on the bounce and 14 games without defeat, to power their way into sixth place in the Championship table.
Johnson said: “Eros was certainly an unlikely hero. I brought him on because Bailey Wright was on one yellow and could have picked up another.
“Little did I know that when I threw him on he would end up with the winner.”
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray was unhappy with his side’s defending for the goal and said: “It’s frustrating and I told the lads that. We grafted so hard and it’s frustrating to have nothing for your efforts.
“Players have to do their jobs and defend set-pieces better than that.”
It was tough on Blackburn, who had shown just as much threat as the Robins.
Adam Armstrong, the Championship’s Player of the Month for January, flashed out an early warning with a fierce cross-shot and just failed to connect with an early second-half cross by Bradley Dack, who then saw his own effort blocked.
Harrison Reed twice came close before he then set up Dack – who just failed to connect in front of goal.
And Dack was unlucky again when he watched another effort deflected away.
For City, former Preston defender Wright had a header blocked by defensive rock Jack Rodwell and another North End old boy Josh Brownhill was denied by Rovers keeper David Raya.
Famara Diediou, Bristol’s strong Senegal International, looked set for his ninth strike of the season but defender Elliott Bennett threw himself into the path of his shot.
The Robins’ record £5.3million signing then flashed a header wide, and saw another tipped over by Raya. Then on came Pisano – and the Italian turned out to be Johnson’s lucky charm.