Rovers and Hull maintain unbeaten start
Blackburn and Hull maintained their unbeaten starts to the Barclays Premier League campaign after an entertaining 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.
A 39th minute effort from Rovers striker Jason Roberts was immediately cancelled out at the other end by Richard Garcia’s header, with both teams unable to find a winning goal after the break despite a number of decent opportunities.
Rovers took the lead when Roberts found himself totally unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and stabbed the ball past goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.
The visitors were level within a minute, however, with Garcia headed home past Paul Robinson after a good cross from Craig Fagan down the right.
Roque Santa Cruz, who signed a new four-year contract yesterday, had a couple of chances in the second half but saw a shot blocked and then a header drop just wide of the target on a largely frustrating afternoon for him.
Midfielder Steven Reid had Blackburn’s first shot on goal after 10 minutes, but the ball took a slight deflection off a defender which made Myhill’s save more comfortable.
Rovers then came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock when a Morten Gamst Pedersen shot from 20 yards just drifted wide of the mark, although the visitors squandered an even better opportunity of their own midway through the half.
Dean Marney broke free down the right-hand side but, instead of shooting for goal or finding the unmarked Fagan on the far post, found himself in two minds and rolled the ball harmlessly past the far post, five yards in front of his team-mate.
The visitors, spurred on by a tremendous and very vocal travelling contingent behind Myhill’s goal, were giving as good as they were getting as half-time approached, only to fall behind in the 39th minute.
Reid’s long ball from halfway found Roberts in acres of space, and the former Wigan man coolly drew the goalkeeper before stabbing the ball into the back of the net with the defence all claiming for an offside flag that never came.
The lead lasted barely a minute, though, with Fagan cutting inside from the right and finding Garcia with his left-footed cross, the midfielder’s header looping over the head of Robinson and into the far corner via the post – again with a suspicion of offside.
Rovers made one change at the interval, the returning Brett Emerton replacing David Dunn in what was surely an injury-enforced move as the midfielder was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half.
