Damien Johnson’s side needed three points at Ewood Park no matter what and so on that front, they delivered. But they weren’t particularly convincing against the Championship’s bottom side.
Eiran Cashin got Rovers off to the perfect start, turning in Ryoya Morishita’s cross to put them ahead. That was after 13 minutes and the perfect tonic.
Sondre Tronstad was then only denied by the outstretched things of Murphy Cooper, turning his shot onto the post. Rovers started with good intent but, sadly, that withered away as the half wore on.
Instead of putting Wednesday to bed, the nerves kicked in. The Owls, who hadn’t scored since Boxing Day in the league, should have levelled when Balazs Toth turned away a header and, somehow, Mathias Jorgensen managed to deflect Jamal Lowe’s header onto his own bar and away.
That was a huge let-off and whilst the visitors didn’t really threaten after that, the nerves ran deep into five minutes of added time. Andri Gudjohnsen could’ve eased those but saw his backheeled effort saved by Cooper.
Rovers move out of the relegation zone with three points and that was ultimately what they needed, anyway possible. It’s their first win in nine games and, you hope, will help boost confidence.
Must-win was not a strong enough term for the importance of ensuring this match ended in a home victory. Johnson was, arguably, being thrown in at the deep end with Rovers’ most important game of the season to date.
Anything less than three points would erode the goodwill earned by dismissing Valerien Ismael, in the eyes of the supporters. With this the re-arranged clash from December, called off due to Ewood Park’s leaky pitch, it was a golden opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone.
Sheffield Wednesday’s own version of ‘dry January’ only added further pressure. The Owls hadn’t scored in 2026 and their solitary Championship win of the season was in September.
Rovers made four changes with Hayden Carter’s inclusion most notable. This was the defender’s first appearance since September 13 after another injury-blighted season. Lewis Miller, Moussa Baradji and Dion De Neve were also recalled with new signing Dapo Afolayan on the bench.
A bright start was imperative to keep Ewood Park engaged and Rovers made the early running. A neat one-two between Dion De Neve and Todd Cantwell saw the former pick out Morishita but his shot was blocked on its was to goal.
Fortunately, a nerve-settling goal came shortly after. 12 minutes on the clock when Cashin turned in the Japanese forward’s cross. Credit to Tronstad in the build-up for keeping the ball alive; Cashin’s near-post dart and finish more reminiscent of a striker than a defender up from the back.
A second goal would wrap the points up as early as 30 minutes and Rovers came mightily close to it. Tronstad’s great strike from outside the box was finger-tipped onto the post by Cooper and out. A brilliant stop from the on-loan Wednesday goalkeeper.
Moussa Baradji was next to have a turn. His mazy run resulted in a shot that needed saving but perhaps the ball would’ve been better served at the feet of a team-mate after he broke from midfield.
Rovers needed the half with a smidge of frustration as their possession turned stale. Wednesday stemmed the flow of pressure and suddenly Blackburn were keeping the ball but playing with little purpose. Yet they still went in at half-time ahead and with Toth untested.
That soon changed after the restart and somehow, Wednesday didn’t level. Toth produced a brilliant save after a long throw was headed towards goal. Lowe then met the rebound but Jorgensen brilliantly kept it out of the net, heading his effort onto the bar and down. Somehow, the hosts survived!
Both teams had big opportunities to score within 30 seconds of each other. Jorgensen was played through by Cantwell and looked set to beat Cooper to the ball but the goalkeeper managed to recover.
The ball was then punted upfield and a miscommunication between Toth and Sean McLoughlin saw the defender head past his goalkeeper but, fortunately, out of play.
Gudjohsen was called from the bench and had Rovers’ most meaningful chance of the second half. Morishita flashed the ball over but his backheel was kept out by Cooper.
Rovers continued to drop deep but their opponents, fortunately, didn’t have the guile or creativity to break them down. Despite the tension, they saw out five minutes of stoppage time to secure three points.
It lifts them out of the relegation zone on goal difference with 30 games played. Whilst the sacking of Ismael was never likely to be an immediate silver bullet, the winless run did at least change.
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Attendance: Not reported