Rovers nearly there

BLACKBURN Rovers can take heart from another encouraging pre-season work out last night.

And if you took 'Harte' out of this captivating clash then Rovers would be celebrating yet another Premiership scalp.

For the second time in five days, Graeme Souness's men gave a top-flight club the runaround, following hot on the heels of Saturday's victory over Everton.

And, but for the lethal left boot of United's Ian Harte, they would have extended their impressive unbeaten sequence to five matches with the big kick-off just a week and a half away.

Incredibly, three times the Republic of Ireland defender stepped forward to beat international team-mate Alan Kelly with deadly free-kicks from outside the box.

The first two were unstoppable, the third unbelievable, as David O'Leary's young guns robbed Rovers' of a richly deserved win.

It was a spectacular hat-trick by anyone's standards and keeper Kelly admitted afterwards he was left completely powerless.

"You've got to hold your hands up and applaud these things sometimes," said Kelly.

"It was a magnificent example of skill and there's not much you can do about it. The first two were right out of the top drawer and the third took a wicked deflection.

"But Ian's got a great gift for that because I've seen what he can do with the Irish set up.

"All you can do is try and cover 95 per cent of your goal and challenge him to put it in the top corner.

"He did that twice, so fair to play to him.

"Not only does he have to get it over the wall but he hits it with such pace as well.

"So I think he'll frighten a few goalkeepers this season."

Despite the freak nature of the result, there was plenty to encourage Souness once again. Leeds -- who let's remember were the main challengers to Manchester United for most of last season -- fielded a strong side.

And, with places up for grabs ahead of their European Champions League qualifier next week, they certainly didn't hold anything back.

But Rovers had the edge in a scintillating first half and should have been two or three up by the interval.

Neat and incisive in their approach play, they sliced open the United defence at will in the opening half hour.

With the visitors opting to play three in the middle, that gave Rovers the licence to roam down the flanks.

And, with new signings John Curtis and Stig Inge Bjornebye ever willing to overlap, it was a tactic which brought rich rewards.

Matt Jansen -- who again looked lively -- gave a sign of things to come with a rasping drive which stung the fingertips of Nigel Martyn inside the opening 10 seconds.

That prompted a hectic spell in which both sides could have scored twice before the game was five minutes old.

But it was that man Harte who silenced the home fans on 12 minutes when he stepped up to bend a brilliant free kick into the the top left-hand corner from fully 25 yards.

Rovers' refused to be knocked out of their stride, though, and skipper Garry Flitcroft dragged them level again with a sizzling daisy-cutter which crept beyond Martyn into the far corner.

Kelly then denied Alan Smith and a timely Martin Taylor block frustrated the same player.

But on 44 minutes United were awarded a free-kick again -- this time marginally further out on the opposite side -- and Harte unleashed another blockbuster which flew into Kelly's top right-hand corner.

If that was a body blow, Rovers didn't show it and they were back on level terms again within three minutes when Taylor bundled home an Ashley Ward knock-down after the striker's initial effort had been hacked off the line.

After such a breathless first half, the game was always going to struggle to catch fire after the break. But it was Rovers who continued to look the more enterprising of the two until Harte had the last laugh with 25 minutes left.

Darwen official Tony Leake rather harshly awarded Leeds another free-kick around 25 yards out.

And there was an air of inevitably about the outcome as Harte strode forward to beat Kelly again -- this time with the aid of a big deflection.

Rovers; Kelly, Curtis, Bjornebye, McAteer, Short, Taylor, Flitcroft, Carsley, Ward, Jansen, Duff. Subs; Johnson (for Flitcroft, 45), Dailly (for McAteer, 89) Not used: Broomes, Ostenstad, Harkness, Filan.

Leeds; Martyn, Kelly, Harte, Dacourt, Duberry, Mills, Bakke, Smith, Hackworth, Bridges, Bowyer. Subs; McPhail (for Bowyer, 56), Huckerby (for Smith, 73) , Evans (for McPhail, 84) Not used: Molenaar, McMaster, Robinson.

Rovers lined up; (4-4-2) right to left

Kelly,

Curtis, Taylor, Short, Bjornebye,

McAteer, Flitcroft, Carsley, Duff,

Jansen, Ward,

Ref; T Leake (Darwen)

Attendance: 8,191