Rovers roar into action finally
RUTHLESS Rovers are up and running after making the most of Jean-Yves M’Voto’s early indiscretion, with manager Gary Bowyer warning the rest of the league that Blackburn are a team on the up.
The Barnsley’s French centreback was shown red after just 15 minutes for hauling down Jordan Rhodes, leaving Rovers to profit handsomely as they roared to their first victory of the season.
Rhodes and talented midfielder Josh King were Barnsley’s chief tormentors, as they fell to another defeat and now look destined for another desperate battle against the drop this winter.
For Rovers boss Bowyer however, the only way is up now after their slow start to the campaign.
Bowyer said: “The sending-off was a key moment, but Jordan Rhodes was never going to go down easily in that type of situation. He’s a greedy striker.
“Even against ten men it can be difficult, but in the end we’ve definitely got what we deserved.
“It was our day, and a day which has seen us score some top quality goals.
“We were ruthless, particularly in the first half, and some of our general play was excellent.
“It’s one game and it’s a victory which is very important. Hopefully it’ll settle a few people down inside and outside the club.
“We won’t be getting carried away though. We need to build on this result and make sure we’re properly focused on the next game.”
Chris Dagnall crashed the Tykes in front from 25 yards in the 13th minute, but within 120 seconds they had seen the giant M’Voto sent-off for a clumsy foul on Rhodes just as the striker was about to pull the trigger from the edge of the box.
Tom Cairney curled home the subsequent free-kick, with Rhodes then adding insult to injury with two goals inside ten minutes.
The first was a looping header from Todd Kane’s deep cross, then a smart lob followed as the former Huddersfield goal machine latched on to Scott Dann’s through-ball.
King made it 4-1 just before the break as he lashed in at the far post following another Kane cross. And Rovers surged further ahead shortly after the restart. This time the impressive Kane thumped in a shot which was far too hot for 'keeper Luke Steele to handle as he could only parry the ball into the net.
Barnsley did have the final word though. Two substitutes combined as new Norwegian international Marcus Pedersen teed up Tomasz Cywka and he buried a shot past Jake Kean from 15 yards.
Barnsley boss David Flitcroft said: “I’ve seen the incident and Jordan Rhodes has got the wrong side of Jean-Yves, but I want to ask ‘has the referee been conned with that one?’
“A decision like that, at such a crucial stage in the game, was a bit too big for him and at the end of the day he hasn’t made it.
“Still, that was only 30 per cent of our problems, the remaining 70 per cent was down to poor defending.
“Mistakes have cost us again, but we’ll work hard to put things right.
“There’s no drama.We have to start picking up results and we will.”