Division One: Walsall 1 Rovers 1 - Peter White's verdict

JOHN Filan emerged from another dressing room full of broken dreams to apologise to his team-mates, manager and travelling supporters for the blunder that cost Blackburn Rovers victory against Walsall last night.

The Aussie keeper was man enough to concede that Walsall's 85th-minute equaliser was down to him and him alone.

But, before being sentenced, he should have mentioned the mitigating circumstances at the other end of the pitch - such as what on earth were Rovers doing hanging onto an anxious one-goal advantage when they had already wasted enough opportunities to have won the next three matches?

"I've apologised to the manager and the players and I'd like to apologise to the fans as well who have travelled and given us such good support," said Filan, whose mis-punch after 'losing' a corner in the floodlights handed Walsall their undeserved equaliser.

"I try and set myself high standards at the back and, unfortunately, I have cost the team a couple of points from an error.

"I'm pretty sick about it. It's disappointing."

Everyone makes mistakes and keepers usually pay a high price for them but even the obvious should not detract from where Rovers have been going wrong all season.

Last night's events reminded me of an old Dave Bassett saying after one of many frustrating afternoons.

"We couldn't hit a cow's backside with a banjo," said Bassett once, only a little more explicitly if you know what I mean. And, after his experiences this season, Brian Kidd probably feels he knows the same tune.

In the last three matches, Rovers have had approximately 75 goal attempts and scored just two goals, one of them a penalty!

That is an incredible, and unbelievably-poor, rate of return.

In fact, if Jack Walker was receiving a similar rate from the bank on his financial investments he would have withdrawn the cash in tenners and hidden them under the mattress months ago.

So, while the finger of blame had to be pointed at Filan, he should be joined in the dock by his team-mates at the other end who wasted more glorious scoring opportunities to fire this spluttering campaign into life.

Walsall manager Ray Graydon was understandably pleased with his side's efforts.

They are a team of big hearts but modest talent, with a starting line-up which, reputedly, did not cost a penny in transfer fees.

And the difference in the two clubs' balance sheets was reflected in the pattern of play with one exception - the goals account. "I feel very proud of a team who fight for everybody," said Graydon.

"They put in a tremendous amount of effort and, if they had come out of it with nothing, it would have been greatly upsetting."

There was certainly no disputing Walsall's fighting spirit but they must have been encouraged by Rovers' generosity in front of Jimmy Walker's goal.

You could see Rovers were up for it from the start and it was heartening to note consistency in an unchanged side - even the subs were the same.

If it was an expression of faith then it wasn't wasted, unlike the list of chances which were about to be created and spurned. It was virtually one-way traffic but Rovers managed only one goal, though they had another disallowed in first-half stoppage time.

Damien Duff was a particular threat but, in the 28th minute, they broke the deadlock from the penalty spot.

Per Frandsen flicked a cross into the penalty area where Walsall defender Adrian Viveash - claiming he was pushed - clearly stuck out an arm and handled.

Lee Carsley has taken to the role of spot-kick king like a man possessed following his successful strikes in pre-season and he smacked home the penalty.

Disgruntlement over a disallowed Craig Short goal, for a foul, was forgotten as Rovers stepped up their attacking efforts.

Matt Jansen and Frandsen should both have hit the target with chances while Walsall threatened at last with Gabor Bukran volleying just over from long range.

The worst misses came just after the hour mark when Jansen and Frandsen made it too easy for the keeper, then Duff blasted high over to his own obvious disgust when players were queueing up to score.

Yet another purple patch saw Jason Wilcox have a shot saved when he should have done better, a good Frandsen strike was hacked off the line and Short fired the follow-up agonisingly wide. You always get a feeling when something silly is going to happen and it did in the 85th minute. Darren Wrack's corner brought Filan out of goal, but the keeper mispunched and sub Michael Ricketts - very appropriate - banged it back into goal.

Even then, Jansen brought the save of the night from Walker in the final minute but Rovers were left to rue the fact that they do not seem to have a natural goalscorer in the side - despite the previous record of players like Jansen and Ashley Ward.

Somebody, surely, is going to suffer before long.

As the advertising sign over the exit for Rovers fans trudging out at the end suggested, "That'll be the Daewoo."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.