Rovers were pegged back in the 95th minute in controversial fashion, as Coventry City goalkeeper, Ben Wilson netted a vital equaliser that dented Rovers’ hopes of holding a buffer inside the top six. Head Coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, reflected on the ultimately disappointing evening, with RoversTV.
“Firstly, we should have done better with the set-piece that led to their goal. Secondly, we’re disappointed to concede so late, the last kick of the game – or should I say last handball of the game? We played against an excellent team, in Coventry City, tonight. They have a different way of playing football, to us. They’re a team who defend well and they make it hard for us to create chances, but are good on the counter. They’re the best in the league at transitions, and we dealt with them really well in the first-half. Neither team created a lot of chances in the first-half, but we edged the brighter moments of the first-half and we scored an excellent goal. We played out of our own half with a double switch before Joe (Rankin-Costello) put in an excellent cross for a brilliant header from Sam (Gallagher).
“We probably should have scored a second to be able to get all three points, but on the other hand, we’ve drawn the game and come away with a point. We’re still in a good position in the table with four games to go. We all know that the end of the season will bring some crazy results. We have four games to go and we’re in a really good position; I think that’s a positive. I’m extremely pleased with how we controlled today’s game, against a top team, but we should have done better with their goal.
“They’ve scored with their hand; it’s handball. I think the referee (Jeremy Simpson) was in a good position to see it. Normally, when you’re stood just outside the box, you should be able to see the six-yard box. That’s football, isn’t it? When you don’t have VAR in the Championship, you will score and concede goals, like that. I think we should have VAR in this league, but saying that doesn’t really help us, tonight.
“The lads are devastated, which they should be. They’ve played a brilliant game at a high level, especially in the first-half. I thought we were too deep in the second-half, instead of pushing forwards. We needed to make some substitutions and withdraw those who were struggling. We’re disappointed that we made enforced changes in the second-half, but we’ve earned a point with four games to go, but we will continue to chase the playoffs. We were stretched in the second-half and asked players to fill in. We’ve been stretched for a while, but we can’t complain about it. Of course, we’d love every player fit and available, but that’s not the case.
“I think we could have managed the game a bit better, by putting more pressure on Coventry in the second-half, instead of sitting too deep, because that’s not what we should have done. We shouldn’t forget that we’ve played against a Coventry side who are in great form. They’ve only lost one in their last 13 games before today, I was impressed with how we coped with them for most of the game.
“It’s still in our hands. If we perform and earn the right results, we will be in the playoffs. We go on the pitch aiming to win every game. If you gave us this league scenario before the season, including the two cup runs, everyone would have taken that. All credit goes to the lads, because they’ve done an excellent job this season.
“We have to wait and see how Sam and Joe are feeling. I haven’t spoken to the medical department yet. There’s always a concern when a player gets injured, but even more when there’s a short time between games. It’s important to have a big squad with a lot of experience, but we all know we’re stretched. The lads who are fit will keep fighting for Blackburn Rovers, as they did today.”
