SHANE Duffy insists Blackburn Rovers are defending better than their results suggest.

And Duffy is certain his centre-back partnership with Grant Hanley will get stronger the more they play together.

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Man-of-the-match Hanley rescued a point for Gary Bowyer’s side in Tuesday night’s 1-1 home draw with Cardiff City.

The captain’s last-gasp equaliser averted a third straight home loss going into Saturday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

But Rovers head to the unbeaten Seagulls still searching for their first win and clean sheet of the campaign.

Duffy says ‘sloppy goals’ are the reason why they are yet to get off the mark.

But he believes Rovers have otherwise defended soundly in their opening three Championship encounters.

“I think we have been quite comfortable in every league match and I thought Grant was magnificent on Tuesday and thoroughly deserved his man of the match,” said Duffy, who along with Hanley, was one of Rovers’ best performers against the Bluebirds.

“As a pair I think we are growing and getting stronger. I enjoy playing with him.

“The defending we’re putting in is not really getting the results we should be getting.

“We’re defending well and, while I know people say we’re not, we are, so it’s frustrating that we’ve conceded in every game, because we’ve defended quite well.”

For the third match running Rovers fell behind inside the first 10 minutes on Tuesday after a poor kick from teenage goalkeeper David Raya led to Joe Mason opening the scoring for Cardiff.

But, despite only levelling late on, there was disappointment in the dressing room that they did not record their first win of the season.

“We’re disappointed we’ve only got a point,” said Duffy.

“If the game had gone on another five minutes I’m sure we would have scored.

“But it was our fault in the first place that we were chasing the game.

“It was another sloppy goal and they are killing us. We need to cut them out and then hopefully we can start winning, especially our home games.

“But it’s another point, that’s two unbeaten now, and we’ll try and take it on and get three points at Brighton.”

Rovers boss Bowyer said after Tuesday’s match that Fode Koita, who came off at half-time with a sore knee, will be fit to face Brighton.

But it remains to be seen whether Jordan Rhodes, who missed the Bluebirds clash with an ankle injury, will return in time.

Bowyer, who was also without Chris Taylor, Corry Evans and Chris Brown, said: “We hope Jordan will be back but we’re going to have to take it day by day with him.”