After Rovers put their name into the hat for the Quarter Final of the FA Cup for the first-time since 2014-15, Jon Dahl Tomasson had nothing but praise for his team and for the 2,626 supporters, who were in fine voice at the King Power Stadium, as Rovers ran out 2-1 winners against Leicester City.
“Tonight, was a very special night. It was unbelievable. Qualifying for the Quarter-Finals of the greatest cup competition in the world that is full of tradition, is amazing. It’s been a special night for the club. We were extremely good tonight. We played at a high level across all aspects of the game. In possession we created chances and were brave and played football. We played one-touch football and moved the ball forwards quickly, but also were able to be patient when we needed to be and we were extremely intense out of possession.
“The lads should all be proud, they’ve put in an excellent effort today. We should have been out of sight during the game, but it was tough in the end, yet the lads showed the unbelievable spirit and togetherness that everybody knows we have in the group. The supporters, who were singing around 15 minutes after the game was over can go home happy with that performance and result! The Quarter-Finals are a big achievement for a club in the position that Rovers are in, having spent a lot of years away from this round.
“The pitch was excellent, so the lads used it to their advantage knowing they could play football on that pitch. They followed the game plan with and without the ball, perfectly. It was a great night, overall. Bloody hell, we should have scored one more and been out of sight! That’s part of football, though, as sometimes you can miss chances. We should be delighted with how we created those opportunities, though. We shouldn’t forget that Leicester City are an excellent football club, who play in the Premier League with a lot of top-class players and a brilliant manager. We knew that things could have been tough when we didn’t score those chances, but we also showed a lot of defensive quality and spirit, which is also part of football. Playing with your heart and brain is a key part of football and all the lads did that amazingly.
“We are stretched, we don’t have the biggest squad in comparison to other teams, but we have players who will give everything for Rovers. The passion, which you need, is great, but it’s important to remember that this game against Leicester City was our ninth game in February! These games costs power, especially as a lot of them were away from home.
“We have been extremely solid this month after a period of inconsistency. We have been solid for the majority of 2023 – except the game against Rotherham United. The other games have all been good performances as well as results, so credit to the young lads for their performances.
“The supporters were all you could hear the whole game, they were amazing! The noise they made was great! The Leicester fans were quite quiet because of the football that we played and I’m sure our supporters would have loved that. We won the game on the pitch and our fans won the game in the stands.
“I haven’t thought about the Quarter-Finals, if I’m honest. We will be watching Wednesday’s draw! It would be great to get a home game. Away games are okay, but we’ve been travelling a lot recently. It would be great to share the Quarter-Final at Ewood Park with our fans, imagine that!
“You should always keep on dreaming as a football fan! I’ve spoken about the chapters that each person could write today, on the pitch and the players have written a new chapter in the great history of this brilliant football club.”
