The Northern Ireland boss made it two wins from two after a late header from Yuki Ohashi. That sparked jubilant scenes at a revitalised Ewood Park and produced a moment that could bring the club together in their hour of need.
The win moved Rovers six points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the weekend fixtures. O’Neill hopes those scenes can help kickstart their season.
“It was a great moment for us. We persevered, really, as much as anything else,” O’Neill said.
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“I felt there was very little in the game. We were probably, I think, the better team in the second half, still pressing in the first half.
“It’s about finding a way to win in the situation we’re in. How do we find a way to win? We found it tonight and it’s massive.
“This club, we know it’s been in better places over the years and it’s in a difficult moment. The supporters have had difficult times, so it’s lovely to get that win in that nature.
“I don’t think we’ve had very many of those this season, so it’s a great way to win a game. Hopefully, as I say, now we’ve got back-to-back wins that can create a little bit of momentum in our season.”
O’Neill insists there has been no revolutionary changes despite sparking successive wins. Instead, it’s been about building from a solid base and working on small details.
“We’ve been in the building seven days now and had to deal with the two games. I’m still getting to know the players’ names, if I’m honest, and what their strengths and weaknesses are,” O’Neill explained.
“I think what we’ve worked a lot on is just trying to be better without the ball.
“We’ve not tried to do anything with the ball in terms of our build-up or anything like that. We’ve made ourselves more difficult to beat. A clean sheet is always a bonus as well.
“When you’re at the wrong end of the table, as we are, then it’s important that you pick up every point and don’t waste any of those games. That’s essentially what we’ve worked on.
“It’s about getting a lot of confidence and confidence comes from results, obviously, as well.”
Ohashi’s stoppage-time winner was Rovers’ first for more than five years. Adam Armstrong last struck in added-on time against Rotherham United in 2020.
It secured only Rovers’ fourth home win of the season. O’Neill was delighted to provide that for the fans, who backed their side vocally throughout.
“A lot of people have just said to me tonight that they’ve not seen the stadium with that type of atmosphere in it for quite some time.
“We’ve got to hold on to that. The supporters played a big part tonight in helping us give the players belief. As you say, I think we’ve only won two games at home this season and possibly three.
“It’s nice to get that win in my first home game and it gives us a platform going into the game on Tuesday night as well.”
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