Premier League: Leicester City 1 Blackburn Rovers 1 - Peter White's big match verdict

TONY Parkes could have been forgiven a few haunted pre-match fears, as his thoughts drifted back to a September day in 1991 when, as caretaker-manager, he took Blackburn Rovers to Filbert Street ... and saw a four-game unbeaten run come to a crushing end with a 3-0 defeat!

"Yes, I remember that day," he confirmed before Saturday's return to the murky East Midlands. "But I'm trying not think too much about it."

Afterwards, as he emerged from the warmth of the same dressing room into the bitter cold of a December night just over five years on, another bad memory had been exorcised.

"I've forgotten all about it now," he grinned.

Rightly so, for there was never any real chance of deja vu as Parkes, yet again the caretaker on the crest of a four-game unbeaten run, saw his present charges do everything but win a game they dominated.

The biggest threat to Rovers' supremacy before Leicester's sickening 78th minute equaliser stemmed from the swirling banks of fog which hovered around Filbert St and prompted two announcements over the PA system, warning fans to retain their tickets should the game be abandoned! Now we know why they adopted those luminous yellow shirts for the change strip - so that the fans have a half-decent chance of seeing the action on the sort of day when mistaken identity was always a possibility.

In fact, during a totally one-sided first half a home fan muttered: "The only chance we have is if they start passing to the stewards in the fog!"

True enough, at one stage, it was tough to tell whether it was Jason Wilcox and Graeme Le Saux, or a couple of stewards in their equally luminous jackets, carving open the right flank of Leicester's defence for the umpteenth time down the far side.

"That was the biggest worry for me for 80 minutes, the fog," said Parkes later. "But when they equalised, I was hoping it would come down," he laughed.

By the time Leicester levelled, however, Rovers could have been out of sight - in more ways than one.

Chris Sutton's clinically-taken goal was scant reward for a first-half performance that probably made home boss Martin O'Neill glad that he couldn't see too much of it.

Rovers ruled supreme in midfield, despite losing Garry Flitcroft midway through the half.

Classy on the flanks too, with Leicester's defensive radar clearly malfunctioning in the mist, Rovers posed too many questions with the movement and link-up play of Sutton and Kevin Gallacher, and others, excellent. When Leicester did occasionally emerge to pose a threat, it was usually snuffed out by Colin Hendry and Henning Berg, giving Tim Flowers a fairly comfortable afternoon.

It was the sort of performance which deserved a win, but Rovers were caught napping by a far-post free kick which saw Ian Marshall loom out of the fog to level with a towering header.

By then the concern over the conditions had eased but Rovers had to undergo a few uncomfortable moments when they could have been coasting. As O'Neill readily testified, there was only one team on the pitch in the first half.

Some flowing football, a string of corners and chances, such as a Tim Sherwood header cleared off the line, left Leicester looking cumbersome at the back and fairly clueless going forward.

The highly-rated strike force of Emile Heskey and Steve Claridge got lost in the fog somewhere along the way.

Just when conditions seemed to be closing in, Rovers took the lead.

Jeff Kenna crossed accurately from the right, Sutton - for once not penalised by a referee whose consistency of judgment on fouls left much to be desired - soared to head down to Sherwood.

The skipper's first-time drive struck the underside of the bar but rebounded for Sutton to steer a quite deliberate header past the keeper. "Blackburn's, Blackburn's number nine," sang the fans, showing their feelings about the Premier League's refusal to allow Sutton to wear that famous shirt. Suddenly, the mist began to lift. But only momentarily and, for the rest of the afternoon, it ebbed and flowed like the game which gathered pace, became more frantic and always looked as though it would have at least one more goal in it.

Rovers, still a threat, had themselves to blame as carelessness in possession gave Leicester hope of a counter and Le Saux had to clear off the line.

The home side changed their tactics, put big-man Marshall up front and began to employ some hit and hope.

That didn't particularly hurt but set pieces looked Leicester's best bet and so it proved with Neil Lennon's free kick poorly defended beyond the far post for Marshall to make the decisive intervention.

With 12 minutes to go, it could have been uncomfortable but there was little sophistication about the home team's play, and always Hendry, Berg or another body was there to block. Sutton, in fact, went closest to winning it but shot just wide.

One point could easily have been three, but it was a million times better than the '91 vintage in terms of both result and, especially, the performance.

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