CHARLTON’S defence was full of festive cheer as it gifted Jordan Rhodes two goals in one of the most comfortable wins we will see in a long time.

And after two defeats in a row it was very pleasing that we were able to come away with a win – and a clean sheet.

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It has been said before that despite Rovers’ nine-game unbeaten run, we hadn’t been playing particularly well.

And the trip to Brentford saw us comfortably beaten in a game that showed perhaps the players had become a little complacent.

Jordan Rhodes was dropped for the trip to the capital, which raised a few eyebrows, but the striker seemed somewhat revitalised when he returned to the starting line-up at Ewood on Saturday.

Rhodes and Rudy were both excellent and battled for every chance and chased every ball in a game we could have won by a much higher margin.

And it was Rhodes’s battling that helped him carve out the two goals that gave us the win - both of which Charlton’s rookie keeper will want to forget in a hurry.

Ben Marshall showed a return to the form that had seen him lauded as one of our best players this season and Ryan Tunnicliffe gave us another glimpse at what exactly we will be missing if Kit Symons chooses to activate the clause in his loan contract that would see him return to his parent club next month.

Jason Lowe did well on his return and in fact his departure from the pitch early in the second half led to a period of stuttering from Rovers.

However it was the introduction of two men, Josh King and David Dunn, that really transformed the second half.

Too often when leading we have sat back and allowed teams to come at us.

But with King – in his first game back after injury – and Dunn in the fray, we continued to press and should have scored at least one more.

Norwegian international King is a frustrating player because we can all see he possesses the basics needed to be a good footballer, he just too often doesn’t seem to be able to harness them all in one match.

And again his pace and tenacity were there for all to see on Saturday, but his finishing let him down when he got through on goal soon after coming on.

Still, I personally think he adds something and should certainly be in with a shout for Friday’s trip to Bolton.

Dunny again showed that although his fitness might not be at its peak these days, he still has the skill and class that can potentially create something special and change a game.

A Merry Christmas to all Rovers fans. Here’s hoping for six more points by Sunday to make this a truly memorable festive season!