THE sight of captain Tim Sherwood turning into commander-in-chief from the back underlined both the positive and punitive sides of Blackburn Rovers' continuing pre-season preparations at The Hawthorns on Saturday, writes PETER WHITE.

For almost the whole of the second half, Sherwood lined up alongside young Marlon Broomes in the centre of Rovers' defence as injuries again bedevilled Roy Hodgson's plans.

But the manner in which the skipper adapted to such an unfamiliar role spoke volumes for the attitude of the players which has been exemplary so far and just what Hodgson would have wanted.

That's the positive side, along with an encouraging result which was thoroughly deserved and, once again, should have been much more clear-cut.

On the other side of the coin, the manager's plans continue to be severely disrupted. Though he was at pains to point out afterwards that every player was under strict instructions to come off at the slightest hint of an injury problem.

Hence the absence from much of the action of Patrick Valery, Stephane Henchoz and Ian Pearce.

Such caution could be rewarded by the time Rovers kick off against Derby on Saturday week.

It was quite intuitive of Hodgson, after such a short time at the club, to realise that Sherwood could handle such a defensive role.

Ironically, the man Hodgson replaced, West Brom boss Ray Harford, expressed no surprise at all.

"I always thought Tim Sherwood could play there, I believed he could have been a sweeper in a three-man central defence," said Harford afterwards.

"He wasn't the crowd's favourite when he first went to Blackburn, but he won them over because quality always comes to the top.

"Blackburn were hard to play against as always, hard to break down and they are good players with a good attitude. I hope they have a good season."

The large contingent of Rovers fans who braved the torrential downpours and torrents of traffic on the M6 were certainly not discouraged by what they saw, especially in the first half before numerous substitutions disrupted the flow of play.

Four of the five new boys - Martin Dahlin stayed back for training - were on view and the fans clearly appreciated their efforts.

West Brom's record signing, Kevin Kilbane from Preston, got little change out of Patrick Valery while the Frenchman was on the field and Stephane Henchoz once again looked as though he is going to be a real asset. Anders Andersson played wide right, as Hodgson looked at another option, using a midfielder as the flank player in a 4-4-2. He didn't seem particularly comfortable but the Swede made some killer passes..

From what little I have seen of John Filan, it seems Rovers have invested in a capable keeper.

Again he didn't have too much to do but he showed good handling, can kick competently with either foot and dealt well with the occasional threat.

Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher were a troublesome twosome up front, Garry Flitcroft could have had a hat-trick with his surging runs from midfield and there were some excellent combinations between Jason Wilcox and Jeff Kenna, then Wilcox and Gary Croft on the left.

Rovers should have won more easily and their continuing failure to convert chances is the only real niggle about their play.

Wilcox, Gallacher and Sutton all went close before Flitcroft struck in the 16th minute.

A corner from Wilcox was headed down by Sutton and it fell kindly from a couple of deflections for Flitcroft, just inside the penalty area, to hit a fierce shot into the net.

West Brom were comfortably contained apart from the occasional raid by Richard Sneekes or Paul Peschisolido, while Rovers played some enterprising football.

Substitutions disrupted the pattern, though Sherwood was close with a flashing header and Flitcroft missed two chances easier than the one he converted.

Kilbane brought a good stop from Filan and Lee Hughes shot wide but, despite an unusual back four of Kenna, Sherwood, Broomes and Croft, Rovers retained overall control.

Considering the absentees, Rovers have every reason to be encouraged by most aspects of Saturday's performance. WEST BROM: Miller (sub Spink 23 mins), McDermott (Holmes HT), Mardon, Murphy (Raven 66), Smith, Coldicott, Sneekes (Butler HT) Hamilton, Kilbane, Peschisolido (Nicholson 66), Hunt (Hughes HT, Potter 86).

ROVERS: Filan, Valery (Croft HT), Pearce (Bohinen 54), Henchoz (Broomes HT), Kenna, Andersson (Ripley 71), Sherwood, Flitcroft, Wilcox, Sutton (Pedersen 85), Gallacher (Fenton 71).

REFEREE: A Wiley (Staffs). Att: 5,859.

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