ROVERS: Blackburn grounded by bad bounce

EVER had one of those days?

The car won't start and the bus sails past without stopping. You forget your umbrella and it pours down, the cash machine chews up your card and, when you finally settle down for an evening's television, the set goes on the blink, writes PETER WHITE.

All you want is an even break.

Well, it was certainly one of those afternoons at Ewood Park as Crystal Palace survived an almighty siege and Blackburn Rovers suffered a severe bout of festive frustration.

And if anyone spotted a lonely figure beavering away in the Darwen End goalmouth into the small hours of this morning, it was probably Ewood's award-winning groundsman Steve Patrick.

For one small spot of turf on an otherwise immaculate pitch was deemed responsible by manager Roy Hodgson for costing Rovers one giant leap forward - in the shape of two points definitely dropped against Crystal Palace.

Certainly it contributed to their being held in a one-sided game, with an awkward bounce aiding and abetting Paul Warhurst to score on his Ewood return.

But to blame a 'pitch battle' for Rovers' failure to claim the win they deserved when they produced 10 times Palace's attempts on goal and did everything but overwhelm their opponents would be to massively overstate the case.

There were more than ample opportunities before and after that second Palace goal to have made it meaningless and Tim Flowers, for once, had to shoulder his share of the guilt.

It was the bounce of the ball Rovers did not get in the Palace box, rather than the one they did in their own which was more influential to the outcome. Ironically, in a game where Rovers could easily have scored half a dozen - at least - I thought the front two of Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher were the best players on the pitch.

Sometimes, you just have to accept that it is not your day. Or, as Palace boss Steve Coppell did, shrug your shoulders, smile ruefully, say thanks very much and head back down the motorway with a very fortunate point gratefully tucked away.

Rovers will be bitterly disappointed with the result. But the key for them is to build on a performance which, on most occasions, would have produced a convincing victory.

It wasn't easy against a side prepared to defend in numbers

Strangely, the atmosphere seemed low key at the start, not helped by the fact that Palace snatched an early lead with a rare enterprising move.

Neil Emblen was behind it and when Jamie Smith's pinpoint right-wing cross arrived in the penalty area Bruce Dyer had freed himself from the attentions of any hovering defenders.

His excellent header was placed well out of the reach of Flowers.

A Sutton header was blocked on the line as the corners and other statistics started to pile up.

But, once they had equalised through Gallacher in the 26th minute, Rovers took complete control.

Sutton, whose all-round play was probably as good as it has ever been, played his partner through and Gallacher calmly lifted the ball over the onrushing Kevin Miller.

It was the signal for Palace to be penned back as the onslaught began. There were some good chances too. Stephane Henchoz put one of them over with a header after Tim Sherwood's acrobatic knockback and Sutton had another effort blocked on the line as he almost made the keeper and a defender pay for their hesitancy.

Perhaps the move which summed up Rovers, and their day, came in the 28th minute. It was pulsating football as Sutton sent Stuart Ripley racing down the right.

He was at full stretch as he managed to lob the ball into the box for Gallacher who displayed great skill to control it, turn and shoot in an instant.

His effort flew a fraction wide of the far post but, despite the ultimate disappointment, it was top-class football.

As the crowd were preparing for a repeat in the second half, disaster struck.

Warhurst put in a weak header, Flowers looked to have gone down too early, was deceived by the bounce and could only juggle the ball with both hands.

A linesman signalled it had crossed the line before Emblen raced in to make sure. You could hardly see a worse goal. Warhurst's header was powder-puff stuff and Flowers could not be happy with his contribution.

His manager refused to attach any blame to the keeper, saying that, while he possibly went down too early, that should not have mattered. "The fact is that the ball hardly had enough pace to go over the goal-line and if it hadn't pitched above his head it wouldn't have made any difference if he had gone down too early or too late," said Hodgson later.

Rovers responded immediately for Sutton to go within inches of an equaliser with a towering header and they laid siege to the Palace goal but the ball just wouldn't go in.

Garry Flitcroft got himself into some excellent positions but couldn't find the finishing touch to crown them. Damien Duff, Sherwood, Ripley and Gallacher all looked as though they might score but couldn't.

Palace were riding their luck with virtually every man back helping out but the equaliser finally arrived on 77 minutes from another sweeping move.

Flitcroft's pass was inch-perfect for Jeff Kenna, who was racing down the right flank. He swung the ball in hard and low and Gallacher met it well only to see Kevin Miller parry the shot.

The keeper's handling had been suspect for much of the afternoon and there was Sutton at the back post to stab in the rebound.

Still Rovers pressed but the winner continued to elude them.

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