HARD LINES AS ROVERS FALTER
TONY Mowbray refused to let a stoppage-time equaliser from Chris Lines mar another step towards automatic promotion.
The Blackburn boss preferred to praise a resilient performance that would have brought three points, but for an open goal miss with his team already a goal up.
Derrick Williams somehow contrived to head wide from close range when unmarked at the far post shortly after Charlie Mulgrew’s 65th-minute penalty had put the visitors in front.
That kept Bristol in with a chance and deep into four minutes of stoppage time, Lines levelled with a sweet volley after Blackburn could only clear a long throw towards the edge of the box.
Mowbray said: “It’s always disappointing to concede a goal in stoppage time, but we will take it on the chin and move on.
“We are still in the box seat for automatic promotion, with one defeat in 30-odd games. Bristol Rovers make it difficult for teams here and we had to show great resilience at times, which I was pleased with.
“The lads have done a lot of travelling recently and it probably showed in the first half. But we had enough chances to make the game safe.
“There was a free header at the far post, which we managed to put into the side-netting, and other opportunities earlier in the game.”
Mulgrew sparked celebrations among more than 1,000 travelling fans when coolly sending Sam Slocombe the wrong way with a low spot-kick after Tom Broadbent had brought down Richard Smallwood.
It seemed that would be enough to settle a closely contested game played on a boggy and treacherous pitch.
But Lines had other ideas and his equaliser again stamped the Pirates as the comeback kings of League One.
“That’s 25 points we have taken from losing positions this season,” said manager Darrell Clarke. “My players don’t know when they are beaten.
“There were no complaints about the penalty. Tom Broadbent has shown a touch of inexperience going to ground and gave the referee a decision to make.
“There wasn’t much between the teams.
“Blackburn have a lot of quality and the header wide was a bad miss. But we had opportunities too and, considering the number of players I have out injured, it was another very pleasing performance.”
Clarke gave a debut to rightsided midfielder Mo Baghdadi in the closing stages, the seventh youngster he has blooded this season.
Most of the goalmouth action came in a second half which saw Raya save well from Ellis Harrison and Blackburn substitute Paul Downing almost slice the ball into his own net.
Mowbray’s men applied plenty of pressure without being able to beat Slocombe from open play.