Rovers battled from a goal down to salvage a point in the Championship for the first time this season after going a goal down, yet Jon Dahl Tomasson spoke of his delight to RoversTV about his young side’s character and spirit that was on display in the Blues’ 1-1 draw away at West Bromwich Albion.
“We saw the spirit of the team tonight. Given the circumstance of being behind in the 89th minute and drawing level, this was a good result. On the other hand, we could probably argue that we could have won the game late on. I asked the players to be brave here, despite West Bromwich Albion’s fine defensive home record alongside winning seven games in a row, here. I thought the players were extremely brave and created chances. We defended well and put a big effort in to come back and earn a draw. When you go behind at that time in the game, you think: ‘oh, is it over?’, but the lads showed great spirit, character and togetherness to earn a well-deserved point.
“The feeling is different when you come from behind, instead of conceding when you’re leading. We haven’t done that a lot of times, this season, but it’s a great feeling that will give the boys confidence. I think they showed great attitude and played some good football today, to come back against an experienced side with players who have played in the Premier League. It’s an excellent performance and result.
“I feel for Ben (Brereton Díaz), because I know how difficult it is when you don’t score for a long period. The most important thing is to get in the positions to try and score and to create chances. He’s been doing that, without scoring, but today he got ‘the jackpot’, which he deserves. We’re delighted for him. He had a couple of opportunities, including one in the third minutes, which saw their goalkeeper make a tremendous save. Ultimately, scoring that goal at the end is great for him and the team. Ben is happy and confident, which is important. It’s always important to also give our fans a party towards the end, so now we can go back to Ewood on Saturday after two tough away games.
“2023 has been a good year for us. We have a record of 3-5-1 so far, against good opponents. We’re stable, but we want to turn those draws into wins, of course. Today, was different as we were losing, and we turned it into a draw which is extremely positive. I’m looking forward to getting back home to Ewood; to our fortress. Hopefully, we can put in two good performances for our supporters, in such a short space of time.
“Scott (Wharton) is suffering from a recurring calf problem that’s resurfaced. He suffered from it a couple of months ago, but it was positive to see Dom (Hyam) back playing in the first-team after a month out with an ankle injury. I’m not sure how Joe (Rankin-Costello) is. I don’t think it’s that serious, but like with Sammie (Szmodics), we have to wait for the medical reports.
“I don’t think they’ll be out for long. Apart from Thomas (Kaminski) who’s recovering from his knee surgery and should be back in 6-8 weeks, Jake (Batty) and Sam (Barnes) are the only long-term injuries we have. Of course, we need everybody fit in order to perform, so hopefully, Scott, Joe and Sammie will be fit for the next couple of games.”
