THE sparkling skills of Lars Bohinen illuminated the soggiest of days at Selhurst Park where you would have put your shirt on Blackburn Rovers at half time to break their Premiership away duck.

Your black and red pinstripe shirt in fact, as Rovers returned to the kit that seems to suit them best and kicked the winless Arsenal-style strip into touch.

But another fair bet was that Wimbledon never ever give you an easy ride and a typical barn-storming comeback earned them their draw.

And how about this for co-incidence? While the Crazy Gang continue to encourage thoughts that they might be on the move to Dublin, or even Cardiff - fat chance in my opinion - Rovers would quite happily visit anyone in the capital at the moment.

For the three draws they have collected on their travels, compared to seven defeats elsewhere, have all been claimed in London!

It was frustrating to see a great chance of the elusive away win slip through the fingers so close to the finishing line.

But at least they are looking the part again - in more ways than one - as Bohinen inspired Rovers to a first half display more reminiscent of home.

Manager Ray Harford, who rightly felt his team had been "wasteful" when so much on top, described Bohinen's contribution as "the icing on the cake".

But Rovers just couldn't clinch that Lars laugh.

There were two distinct schools of thought about the outcome on a bitterly cold afternoon with the rain teeming relentlessly down - just the sort of fixture you don't relish on the weekend before Christmas. Rovers, back at their best on tour, performance-wise as well as sartorially, could and should have put the game well beyond struggling Wimbledon before half time.

They tore a toothless home side apart, zipped the ball around on the sodden surface and created the sort of chances that enabled Wimbledon keeper Paul Heald to emerge as a hero.

The suspicion, however, that the Dons might have been let off the hook proved well founded.

Home boss Joe Kinnear probably drowned out the notorious ghetto blaster with his half time team talk and the inevitable ear bashing saw the Wimbledon lambs of the first half turn into the usual lions in the second.

Even then, only 11 minutes stood between Rovers and that elusive first away win in the Premiership.

They must have thought that some doughty defending had weathered a ferocious storm but Wimbledon profited on a mistake that was partially down to the conditions. So there was clear disappointment but also an acknowledgement that Wimbledon's fightback probably deserved something from the game.

Perhaps the most important factor was the quality of the performance - after the hell of Highfield Road - not only in testing conditions but also trying circumstances.

Mike Newell, Stuart Ripley and, of course, Graeme Le Saux were all missing from the team which beat Middlesbrough.

Chris Coleman and Graham Fenton both started a Rovers game for the first time and Billy McKinlay was also included with Kevin Gallacher back on the bench.

To accommodate so much change and play as well as they did in that first half was a credit to the players.

They were shorn of natural attacking wide players through the injury problems, but both left back Jeff Kenna and McKinlay on the left of midfield took on un-natural roles for the sake of the team.

Similarly, they had to field a new strikeforce in Fenton and Alan Shearer and another new-look back four.

But you would not have guessed there had been so many changes with the way they started.

It set the pattern for one of the better games I have seen involving Wimbledon, bags of attacking football, some solid defending, great saves by the keepers and plenty of excitement.

Ironically, the two goals definitely belonged in a Wimbledon game. They were scruffy affairs and, while Tim Flowers would have to bear responsibility for the Dons' late leveller, he had already contributed crucially to keeping the home team at bay.

The only surprise about Rovers' goal was that it took 27 minutes to arrive. For Shearer had set the pattern after only 23 seconds when he forced the first of several fine saves from Heald.

Wimbledon had enjoyed a little early flurry too, but that soon faded as Rovers took complete command with Shearer and Fenton threatening and the brilliant Bohinen pulling the strings in midfield with Tim Sherwood.

But the goal came about through strange circumstances, rather than any outstanding play.

Fenton played a ball in to Shearer, Alan Kimble tried to intercept the anticipated shot and the ball ricocheted goalwards towards the far post.

Even with 15 video re-runs, I couldn't tell whether it crossed the line before a sliding Sherwood got the final touch, so I'm giving it to the Rovers skipper unless a future sitting of the goals panel dictates otherwise.

After the goal, Fenton was desperately unlucky not to open his account - forcing an outstanding save from Heald and also striking a post.

How much would Rovers regret not capitalising on their chances? The answer soon came.

A certain Vinnie Jones stood menacingly at the halfway line on the resumption and the substitue's presence, if not his poise, helped prompt a typical rally and aerial bombardment.

The corners and lumps upfield created the pressure and Rovers had to battle doggedly to survive.

It wasn't clear-cut, just characteristic Wimbledon.

But, when Flowers somehow managed to pull off a breathtaking one-handed save from Efan Ekoku's 55th minute header, after a flowing Dons move, we started to wonder if this really was to be the day the run would end.

Rovers had opportunities to catch Wimbledon on the break but there wasn't as much quality about their attacking work after half time.

And they were finally caught out just when it seemed they had taken the sting out of the home side. Oyvind Leonhardsen smashed a vicious first-time shot from the edge of the box. It bounced in front of Flowers, and must have been like a bar of soap in the conditions as it rebounded from the keeper and Robbie Earle pounced to slide it home.

There was a late rally by Rovers against a side who looked relieved to get a point but without success.

If they maintain this overall standard, however, that away win surely won't be too far away.

Certainly not as far away as those "other" shirts which have brought only defeat and were ultimately banned by the boss.

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