MOWBRAY: WE SHOULD HAVE BURIED THEM
BLACKBURN 1 ROTHERHAM 1
TONY MOWBRAY was frustrated at the officials and his Blackburn side’s profligacy after their draw with Rotherham United.
The hosts ought to have won at a canter, but the woodwork, wasteful finishing and superb goalkeeping thwarted them.
Rotherham looked to be heading to a first Ewood Park win since 1979 when Michael Smith headed past David Raya 15 minutes from time.
But Rovers salvaged a point in the 81st minute that their performance deserved, thanks to Bradley Dack’s close-range finish.
Mowbray was disappointed with just one point. He said: “Frustration is probably the best word, I think. In the first half, we struggled a little bit with their directness and their long throw-ins, and they forced us back. We didn’t deal with the first ball very well first half. We managed to resolve that at half time and played the way we like to play.”
Rovers carved out the first clear cut chance when Adam Armstrong’s incisive pass released Amari’i Bell on the left, one-onone with Marek Rodak who stood firm to repel the effort.
The Millers should have been in front midway through the half when a corner was headed across goal by Michael Smith to Joe Mattock, free as a bird six yards out, but he headed over.
Armstrong almost made them pay 10 minutes before the break, but his rasping drive clattered the crossbar.
Immediately after the restart, Armstrong and Dack combined to give Danny Graham a clear sight of goal but his weak effort was easily saved, and Rodak parried away an Elliott Bennett piledriver.
A frantic spell saw Smith’s shot hacked away, Graham’s header cleared off the line at the other end by Wood, and Rodak palm away a Darragh Lenihan cross-cum-shot.
Rodak was once again Rotherham’s saviour in the 65th minute as Dack collected the loose ball in the box and evaded two challenges, but again the goalkeeper saved.
That profligacy was punished 15 minutes from time when Ryan Williams’s deep cross was met at the back post by Smith, who out-muscled the Blackburn defence to head across Raya and into the bottom corner.
Rovers threw everything at it to equalise, with Rodak palming away an Armstrong shot. The goal eventually came in the 81st minute when Ben Brereton latched onto a deflected cross to cross for Dack, who rifled in his 10th of the season from inside the six-yard box. Try as they might though, Rovers couldn’t fashion a winner.
Mowbray said: “I think the second half was as good in possession that we’ve been and there’s just a real frustration that we were only able to score one goal. I’m frustrated with the officials, how they let time-wasting roll on and roll on, and unbelievably only put five minutes up.”
Rotherham boss Paul Warne said: “There’s no way I could look you in the face and say Blackburn didn’t deserve to score because they definitely did, and the lads know that.”
“It’s all about when you get your opportunities away from home especially, you’ve got to be even more ruthless.”