Greek bears precious gift

A monumental week that began with Blackburn Rovers deep in relegation trouble has ended with the club's Premiership status all but secured for a further 12 months.

Although Graeme Souness won't admit it, only a collapse of Devon Loch proportions will now prevent Rovers from taking their place at English football's high table once again in August.

Back to back wins for only the second time this season, a rare clean sheet, and a first home victory since November 29 has done much to exorcise the demons that were threatening to engulf Ewood Park seven days ago.

After five months and nearly 15 hours of football, the dreaded 'home' curse has been lifted thanks to a Greek bearing gifts.

One more win from the remaining four games should be enough to guarantee survival and the sense of relief was tangible on and off pitch on Saturday as the full gravity of this victory sunk in.

As with Rovers' last triumph on home territory, it took an own goal to finally resolve a simmering dispute between two sides locked in a desperate fight to stay in the Premiership.

Nikos Dabizas, the hapless Greek international, could only watch in horror as he diverted a cross from Andy Cole into his own net shortly before half-time.

It was a defining moment, not just in this game but in the overall context of a traumatic campaign.

Barring a minor miracle, Micky Adams's Leicester now appear to be heading back to the Nationwide abyss just 12 months after experiencing the euphoria of promotion.

Rovers, meanwhile, will surely live to fight another day providing Leeds don't suddenly begin to perform like champions as the season reaches its denouement.

Souness, of course, will remind his players that a job still needs to be done but this was the game Rovers simply had to win and the fact they did owed more to perspiration than inspiration.

Leicester, for all their technical deficiencies, are a team of scrappers intent on going down with a fight and Souness knew it was imperative his players won the battle before they could dream about winning the war.

Thankfully, they rose to that challenge and no-one relished the pressure cooker atmosphere more than Craig Short and Lorenzo Amoruso, the game's two outstanding performers.

This was the kind of occasion that demanded certain individuals stand-up and be counted and the veteran duo did exactly that in the face of an aerial bombardment.

Amoruso, in particular, was an imposing presence at the back and the way all four corners of the ground rose as one to salute him midway through the second half would suggest the fans have forgiven him for his misdemeanours earlier in the season.

There were times when Rovers defended so deeply, they invited pressure on themselves.

But Leicester, even with four strikers in their starting line-up, couldn't find a way through a stubborn home rearguard and the reality was Brad Friedel did not have a shot to save of any consequence in the entire 90 minutes.

In contrast, the effervescent Jonathan Stead and his able sidekick, Andy Cole, were a source of constant menace up front.

Circumstances dictated that Rovers sacrificed their footballing principles and went route one, often bypassing the midfield altogether.

The result was hardly pleasing on the eye but the willingness of Stead and Cole to run the channels made it work and had some of the finishing been sharper then the Foxes would have been dead and buried long before the final whistle.

As it was, the home fans were made to sweat it out to the bitter end before they could finally celebrate a first home win in 10 attempts.

Both sides showed signs of nerves in a tense first half.

Ian Walker had to readjust himself in mid-air to keep out a Vratislav Gresko free kick which took a wicked deflection off the wall in the eighth minute.

Then Martin Andresen went close with a venomous drive that flew inches wide of the far upright.

In between, Leicester's best opportunity of the half fell to James Scowcroft, who flashed a header narrowly over from Muzzy Izzet's corner.

The vital breakthrough finally came three minutes before the break and from the most unlikely source.

Lucas Neill slipped a clever ball down the right hand side of the Leicester defence for Cole to race into the channel.

The former England striker kept his composure and drilled a low centre towards Stead, who was racing into the six-yard box. As Dabizas attempted to cut it out, he only succeeded in turning it into his own net.

Waves of relief lapped around Ewood and Rovers began to play with a greater freedom from that point on.

Stead and Cole both spurned glorious chances in a 12-minute spell at the start of the second half but as long as it remained 1-0, the Foxes were still in the hunt.

Former Blackburn favourite Marcus Bent wriggled his way into the box but his cross-shot struck a defender and in the melee that followed, Scowcroft saw his follow-up effort deflected wide for a corner.

Then Gresko was fortunate to get away with what looked like a clear trip on Bent in the area - a careless challenge that sent Souness into a frenzy.

As the tension reached unbearable levels in a nerve-racking finale, Rovers had a couple of late chances to finish the job off.

Stead brilliantly turned a defender and crossed for Brett Emerton but the Aussie's first-time shot hit a defender.

Then Emerton returned the compliment but Walker managed to prevent Stead's low drive from creeping in at the far post.

In the end, one goal proved enough and Ewood erupted in joyous celebration.

If Rovers blow it from here then they'll only have themselves to blame.

ROVERS 1

Dabizas og 42

LEICESTER CITY 0

Attendance: 22,749