Preston 1-4 Blackburn: Rovers move to within three points of play-offs

Preston 1-4 Blackburn: Rovers move within three points of the Championship play-offs after emphatic away victory, with Sam Gallagher, John Buckley, Darragh Lenihan and Lewis Travis netting to end five-game winless streak

  • Blackburn ended a five-match winless streak to revive their play-off hopes
  • Visitors raced into a two-goal lead through Sam Gallagher and John Buckley
  • Alan Browne pulled a goal back but Darragh Lenihan made it 3-1 in 37th minute
  • Lewis Travis sealed an emphatic victory with his first goal in more than two years

Blackburn halted a run of five winless games and kept their play-off hopes alive after an impressive victory at local rivals Preston North End.

Tony Mowbray’s side went into the game knowing that a win was imperative to their hopes of catching sixth-placed Sheffield United. They move to seventh, three points off the final play-off place.

Rovers had failed to score in 11 of their last 17 games but took just nine minutes to take the lead. 

Sam Gallagher (left) scored as Blackburn Rovers beat Preston to keep their play-off hopes alive

Preston North End: Iversen, van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes (Rafferty 71), Whiteman (McCann 82), Potts, Browne, Johnson, Cunningham (Maguire 46), Jakobsen, Archer.

Subs Not Used: Lindsay, Ripley, Sinclair, O’Neill.

Booked: Browne, Whiteman.

Goals: Browne 29.

Blackburn: Kaminski, Lenihan, van Hecke, Scott Wharton, Pickering, Travis, Rothwell (Edun 87), Hedges, Buckley (Dack 87), Brereton, Gallagher (Poveda-Ocampo 79).

Subs Not Used: Ayala, Dolan, Pears, Zeefuik.

Booked: Pickering, Gallagher, Buckley.

Goals: Gallagher 9, Buckley 12, Lenihan 37, Travis 52.

Att: 15,229

Ref: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire)

Ben Brereton Diaz’s flicked header struck the woodwork and rolled along the line until Sam Gallagher nodded into an open net. 

Soon after, John Buckley found himself in space 25 yards out and tried a hopeful low drive, which snuck past Preston keeper Daniel Iversen. 

The hosts had a lifeline just before the half-hour through Alan Browne, whose shot cannoned off Scott Wharton’s head and in. 

Rovers hit back immediately thanks to Joe Rothwell’s free-kick planted on to the head of Darragh Lenihan, who looped it over Iversen. 

Blackburn were out of sight soon after half-time when Lewis Travis surged into the box and rolled in his first goal in more than two years. 

‘Even though we were winning games by four and five earlier in the season we weren’t looking as controlled as we did at times tonight,’ said Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray.

‘Although there is clearly pressure on the lads at this stage of the season, we looked quite relaxed in some stages of the game.

‘There didn’t appear to be a burden on any of the lads, they stayed relaxed and played themselves into the game.’

The game also saw a return from injury for top scorer Ben Brereton Diaz, and the Chile international made an immediate impact as he laid on two goals in an impressive overall performance. 

Blackburn’s Lewis Travis surged into the box and fired home his first goal in over two years

‘Ben has come back at the right time for us,’ added Mowbray. 

‘He’s a class player, he’s got real quality. He scores with his head, both feet, and he offers so much to the team.

‘Everybody loves him here, mainly because of the human being he is. He’s a brilliant individual.’




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