ROVERS ON TERRIER LEASH BUT STILL GO SECOND

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BLACKBURN moved themselves into the top two for the first time this season – but did it the hard way after being frustrated by Huddersfield.

Rovers’ six-game winning streak was checked by a resolute Terriers backline on a day when

Tony Mowbray felt that referee Keith Stroud did his side few favours.

Blackburn boss Mowbray was yellow-carded for protesting towards the officials once too often in the first half, shortly after Ben Brereton Diaz appeared to have been hauled down in the box.

“I don’t want to come out and hammer the referees,” said Mowbray. “But I don’t know what games they watch sometimes.

Surely they’ve got to know when a foul is a foul. I just felt like he was trying to be clever, really.

“There has been lots of positives to take, though.

“My team showed commitment, desire and intensity, and on balance we should have won the game.”

In soggy conditions at Ewood Park, Rovers made a terrific start and German striker Reda Khadra (left) came close with an angled strike against the bar. The in-form Terriers, without boss Carlos Corberan due to Covid, were under the cosh but almost caught Rovers out on a rare break when Duane Holmes was denied by a stunning point-blank save from Thomas Kaminski.

The second period was much more evenly contested, with the Terriers fluffing a great chance when Holmes fired wastefully into the side-netting from 10 yards. Rovers replied with Joe Rothwell curling a precise freekick just over the crossbar and sub Sam Gallagher saw a thumping header cleared off the line by Sorba Thomas.

The Terriers are now unbeaten in six and remain in the play-off places. Assistant boss Danny Schofield said: “We rode our luck a little bit at times, but the fighting spirit shone through for me.

“We’re still progressing nicely as a team, and of course we’re all happy with our current form.”