Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Blackburn Rovers 1 - Peter White's verdict

AT THE start of Blackburn Rovers' pre-season preparations, it might have been said that, in terms of first team selection, Damien Johnson had only just walked through the front gate at the bottom of the drive.

But, a handful of games later, the young Ulsterman is clearly not so much knocking on the door as halfway into the porch.

Johnson, starting again on the left-hand side at Molineux last night, was handed his opening through the rash of injury problems which have beset Rovers from the outset.

But, as he showed with a super equaliser against Wolves in Robbie Dennison's testimonial game, this lad has an eye for the main chance.

Johnson's late strike, a header following a prodigious leap at the back post above defenders who towered over him, was fair reward for Rovers' graft. They should have been first to score when quick-thinking by Kevin Davies was punished by a referee who amazingly gave a free kick against Martin Dahlin.

Instead, they fell behind early in the second half to a careless goal as Gary Croft slipped up to let Wolves in.

But the pressure eventually told and a Rovers side, short of a number of 'first-choice' men, came away with a respectable result.

They also managed to give Sebastien Perez his first taste of English football, and Davies his first start and a full 90 minutes which will do him the world of good as he battles to shake off the effects of being out of action for so long.

Rovers boss Roy Hodgson was certainly not dissatisfied with most of the evening's work and, indeed, the build-up seems to be following a fairly similar pattern to last summer.

That was a case of steady progress rather than anything spectacular and is normally the way of these pre-season schedules.

We already knew that several names, a number missing last night, can certainly be pencilled in to face Derby.

Hodgson's intentions, however, are to have as many players fit, available and raring to go and that is almost the sole purpose of these games for him. Yet he is still disappointed when Rovers fail to win and, if Davies's first-half 'goal' had counted, they might well have gone on to do so last night.

"I thought we were a little bit unlucky not to go in one up at half time and I was disappointed with the goal we had disallowed," said the manager. "But we were a bit generous at the start of the second half and they got a goal which I don't think we should have conceded. We weren't under so much pressure at the time to concede a goal like that. But I thought we came back very well, obviously playing against a fairly defensive Wolves side.

"They were trying to protect what they had, ie a one-nil lead, and forced us into attacking against a massed defence.

"But the players showed a lot of ideas, a lot of willingness and, in the end, I thought the equaliser was no more than we deserved."

Hodgson's overall plan seems to be on course, though he was less liberal in the use of his substitutes last night.

"At the moment, we are trying to use the squad wisely, give everybody a game and make certain we keep everyone in the frame," he said.

"Because it's going to be a long season. Apart from the League, there's the UEFA Cup and the two other cup competitions.

"I think I am going to need a lot of players.

"And, once again, people like Corbett and Johnson showed that they are no strangers to this level of football - as, of course, did players like Broomes and Croft, who haven't played that many games." Perez also looked lively and imaginative in the first half before he tired a little.

The 45 minutes revolved around three main incidents, two of them with Davies at the heart of things.

On 10 minutes, Perez's quick and incisive pass found Dahlin on the right, he created space and pulled the ball back for Davies but, somehow, it ricocheted around the striker's feet and a great chance was lost.

Fifteen minutes later, Davies's luck was right out.

Dahlin had tangled with a defender, who won the challenge. He passed the ball back to the keeper who dawdled, Davies was alert, raced in and blocked the clearance with his foot - the ball rebounding into the net.

It was not dis-similar to a goal he scored for Southampton at Stamford Bridge last season.

But, inexplicably, the referee then blew for a free kick, apparently against Dahlin some time earlier in the original challenge - nonsense.

Davies might not yet be close to maximum fitness but he does take up some clever positions and there is clearly much more to come.

In between those chances, Wolves had one or two half chances and a clear-cut opeing when, for once, Rovers' defence went AWOL but Steve Froggatt shot tamely at Tim Flowers.

Wolves had their best spell early in the second half and, after Flowers had saved excellently from Steve Claridge, they went ahead on 53 minutes. Croft let in Steve Bull on the bye-line and he crossed low into an unattended goalmouth for an unmarked Lee Naylor to score via the near post.

It was then a case of Rovers pressing forward against a packed defence and they got the equaliser with 12 minutes left.

Tim Sherwood struck a tremendous free kick from a few yards outside the penalty area, Mike Stowell went full length to palm the ball away but Johnson outjumped everyone at the far post to head down past the helpless keeper. Hodgson is fast discovering that, as well as the tried and trusted, he has other options too if problems strike.

WOLVES: Stowell, Muscat, Williams, Emblen (sub Green 77 mins), Richards, Froggatt (Corica HT) (Simpson 72 mins), Robinson (Osborn 54 mins), Atkins, Dennison (Naylor 31 mins), Bull (Roberts 68 mins), Claridge (Jones 78 mins).

ROVERS: Flowers, Kenna, Peacock, Broomes, Croft, Perez (Corbett 65 mins), Flitcroft, Sherwood, Johnson, Dahlin (P Pedersen 77 mins), Davies.

REFEREE: M Fletcher (Warley)

ATT: 8,243

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