Bohemians Prague 0 Blackburn Rovers 1 - Andy Neild reports from Ulm, Germany. . .

SPANISH star Javier De Pedro showed why Graeme Souness was so keen to snap him up earlier this summer by inspiring Blackburn to a hard-earned victory in Ulm.

The former Real Sociedad winger bounced back from the disappointment of being sent off on his debut earlier this week to grab the only goal of a tight encounter against the industrious Czechs.

But it was the constant silver-service he provided from the left-flank that will have most impressed Souness on what turned out to be a testing evening for his side.

De Pedro was at the hub of most of Rovers' best work and though he's more of a Rick Holden than a Ryan Giggs in terms of his physical prowess, there's no doubt he possesses a sweet left foot.

In the first half alone, I counted four decent chances which all came from the Spaniard's raking crosses.

He's the type of winger who looks to whip the ball in early, a quality Rovers have been lacking for some time.

And if Jon Stead, Paul Gallagher and Paul Dickov can all get plugged into his wavelength then he could wreak havoc in the Premiership over the next 10 months.

My only reservation so far concerns his general fitness as he looks a little heavy compared to the rest of his team-mates.

However, Souness and his coaching staff have already got him doing extra sessions after training in a bid to get him fine-tuned ahead of the new season.

But the early signs would seem to suggest he'll give the side more balance going forward down the left, which was the problem Souness was desperate to address this summer.

The Czechs made Rovers work for their victory and it took a penalty in the end to finally see them off, De Pedro converting it emphatically with his trusty left-foot.

The win came at a price, though, as Brad Friedel and Barry Ferguson both picked up injuries, an unwanted headache at this stage in the club's preparations.

Friedel was the first to limp off in the 23rd minute after damaging the 'kicking' muscle at the top of his leg.

The early prognosis is he could miss the rest of the pre-season friendlies.

Ferguson, meanwhile, collapsed in a heap clutching his knee, shortly before half-time.

For a second the bench must have feared he had injured his kneecap again but it later emerged the skipper had suffered a gash that required four stitches and he may even be back to face Stockport next Wednesday.

As for the game itself, it was Rovers who carved out the greater amount of chances in a competitive first half.

Dickov and Stead fired wide, then Stead had a header well saved by the keeper, all from De Pedro deliveries.

Seconds before half-time, a neat interchange between Steven Reid and David Thompson led to another chance for Nissa Johansson but the Bohemians keeper Lubos Ilizi was equal to his header.

The Czechs' only real effort, meanwhile, fell to Koukal, who dragged his shot wide.

Rovers continued to call the tune after the break as Ilizi came to the rescue again, this time denying Reid.

That reprieve proved only temporary, however, as 60 seconds later the referee spotted a push on Stead in the box and De Pedro swept home the penalty with aplomb.

A flurry of substitutions after that meant the game became scrappy.

Paul Gallagher should have made it two for Rovers but headed over from Brett Emerton's cross.

But all in all, another good work. Aside from De Pedro's performance, Dominic Matteo also did a stout job as a holding midfield player in front of the back four.

And Thompson looked lively again when he entered the fray from the bench.

ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Gresko, Amoruso, Johansson, Matteo, Ferguson, Reid, Stead, Dickov, De Pedro. Subs: Enckelman (for Friedel, 23), Thompson (for Ferguson, 41), Emerton (for Reid, 59), Flitcroft (for Matteo, 59), Gallagher (for Dickov, 59), McEveley (for Gresko, 59), Jansen (for Stead, 59), Tugay (for De Pedro, 59), Douglas (for Neill, 59)