GOLDEN GRAHAM BOOSTS ROVERS
BLACKBURN boss Owen Coyle is adamant his side will climb out of the relegation battle in time after showing stomach for the fight in response to an early gut punch.
Scott Hogan’s opener after 30 seconds was cancelled out by Danny Graham’s equaliser, with the Rovers striker adding his second from the penalty spot by the 20th minute.
Hogan levelled on the half hour but Bees skipper Harlee Dean put through his own net before half time for what proved to be Rovers’ winner.
“Over a period of time we will not be in the area of the league that we’re in. We will continue to get better and continue to move up,” said Coyle.
“I’m so pleased for the players and the fans because it’d have been easy after losing a goal after 30 seconds to feel sorry for yourself, but nothing could have been further from the truth. They picked themselves up.
“I think it was important that we got ourselves over the line and if it meant that we have to be winning ugly at times, then so be it.”
An absorbing first half began when Lasse Vibe slipped in Hogan to slot past Jason Steele as Rovers endured their nightmare start.
Rovers nearly hit back in the ninth minute through Sam Gallagher, who met Craig Conway’s cross only for his header to be denied by a scrambling Daniel Bentley in the Bees’ goal.
But Blackburn levelled through Graham with a quarter of an hour played as though Bentley stopped his first attempt from Derrick Williams’ cross, the Rovers striker made no mistake with the rebound.
Rovers were awarded a penalty on 20 minutes when Josh Clarke brought down a darting Corry Evans in the box and Graham stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick.
Graham nearly had a hat-trick two minutes later but his header from Conway’s teasing corner was glanced agonisingly wide.
Hogan capped off a sublime flowing move from the Bees on the half hour to level after he was slipped in by Nico Yennaris and Brentford’s top scorer lifted the ball over Steele.
Sullay Kaikai almost completed the turnaround after the winger raked a low shot past a diving Steele just off target.
But Rovers took the lead once more in the 38th minute when Gallagher darted into the box after shaking off John Egan and his cross was turned into his own goal by Bees skipper Dean.
Blackburn could have had a fourth 15 minutes from time when Graham’s delightful backheel found Conway, whose effort deflected off Egan and the ex-Sunderland striker blasted the rebound over.
Rovers endured waves of Brentford attacks in the last quarter hour and into stoppage time but held on, with Bees boss Dean Smith finding little fault in his side’s second-half performance.
“I think that, at the end of the day, they defended their 18 yard box better than we did in the first half. In the second half I can’t fault the lads,” he said.
“I thought it was excellent. We were a lot more patient on the ball. By being patient, we still moved it quickly, got our centre backs out and created opportunities.
“It’s a concern that we’ve come here and conceded three goals because that’s very unlike us.
“But I can’t fault them in the second half and if they keep giving that, they’ll get back to winning ways.”