Blackburn Rovers 3 – 1 Stoke City
After attending the previous two games at Ewood Park, the difference in Blackburn Rovers’ performances was vast.
Firstly, chances that had previously gone begging were taken against Stoke City, and an urgency to play higher up the field, especially in the first half, was evident. A special mention has to be made about Sam Gallagher, who played one of his better matches and was a willing participant rather than waiting for his chances to come.
Secondly, in terms of defence, the squad looked more assured with better organization and know-how than against QPR, where every attack made them look vulnerable, especially to balls over the top. A special mention goes to Kyle McFadzean, who never stopped shouting and organizing the defensive field for the whole squad, directing players where to be positioned throughout the game and during each attack that Stoke City made.
During the QPR game, it felt as though only Sammie Szmodics was wanting or willing to drive the team, whereas against Stoke, the whole team seemed to work together and be proactive, as opposed to reacting to decisions made by the opposition.
Overall, the difference that Kyle McFadzean made and the fact that chances were taken early in the game made a difference against two sides that are probably similar to Rovers at the moment in terms of league position and recent form.
A lot of credit has to be given to Tyrhys Dolan for the way he finished his chances, and we hope that this is the start of a new chapter for Rovers under John Eustace and that he will take us up the league.
Player Ratings
Aynsley Pears – 8, Callum Brittain – 7, Dom Hyam – 7.5, Kyle McFadzean – 9, Ben Chrisene – 8
Joe Rankin Costello – 8, Sondre Tronstad – 8, Ryan Hedges – 8.5, Tyrhys Dolan – 9
Sammie Szmodics – 8.5, Sam Gallagher – 8.5
Subs
Andrew Moran – 7, Connor O’Riordan – 7.5, Semir Telahovic – 6.5 (missed a few chances but got in the right positions) Arnor Sigurdsson – 6, Jake Garrett – 7.5
Player of the Match
Kyle McFadzean – Absolute rock at the back, organised the defence, read the game so well.
