Rovers keep finding a way.

It was again a mixture of clinical finishing and resolute defending to finally end the win-lose sequence.

In doing so, they moved to the top of the Championship, and also made it an unhappy return to Ewood Park for former manager Tony Mowbray.

It is now nine wins in 16 games, and keeping up that habit, even with the number of defeats they will likely suffer, it will serve them well in a division where they aren’t alone in struggling for consistency.

Jon Dahl Tomasson calls Ewood Park a ‘fortress’, and the early evidence is that Rovers are proving a tough nut to crack, with this their fourth successive win, and sixth in eight home matches.

Tomasson’s rotation policy is keeping every player on their toes, and while the omission of Bradley Dack will continue to raise questions from supporters, the head coach is being vindicated for his selections with the results.

The Rovers team showed four changes from the win at Middlesbrough, including a league debut for Jake Garrett.

He replaced the suspended Lewis Travis, while Harry Pickering was ruled out through injury.

Hayden Carter, Ryan Hedges and Sam Szmodics came into the team, but the big news from the matchday squad was the fact there was no room for Bradley Dack in the 18.

The opening stages were an exercise in both teams cancelling each other out.

There was no shortage of competitive battles, with Garrett making an immediate impression with an early sliding challenge, but Rovers were struggling for fluency, again giving supporters a few nervy moments when committed to playing out from the back.

It was from an ambitious cross-field Ben Brereton pass that the first real effort of the game came, though it went the way of the visitors as Alex Pritchard intercepted it and then broke forward, but shot over the bar.

A game of little goalmouth action saw Rovers continuing to play the ball around, but it was the incisive runs in behind that they were lacking.

Then out of nowhere came the opening goal, with 32 minutes on the watch.

When the ball broke loose on the right edge of the box, it invited Brereton to hit it with his left effort, his strike arrowing into the top corner.

It was a moment of brilliance, but one that didn’t lack controversy, with Sunderland incensed that they weren’t awarded a spot-kick as Jack Clarke went down under the challenge of Hedges at the other end.

Referee Craig Pawson was unmoved however, with Rovers breaking up the pitch to take the lead.

Szmodics then broke the offside trap to deliver a ball across the face of the six-yard which Luke O’Nien defended well ahead of the waiting Brereton, before the visitors forced Thomas Kaminski into his first save of the night.

O’Nien, forward from right back, delivered a cross which Clarke won in the air, but his header was planted too close to Kaminski.

Clarke had been operating as Sunderland’s central striker, but moved out to his natural left wing spot as Tony Mowbray tried to test out the defensive skills of Hedges for the second half.

Yet it was Hedges’ dead-ball prowess that saw Rovers double their lead four minutes into the second half. His free-kick from the right flashed across the goal and got the slightest of touches from Scott Wharton to turn beyond Patterson.

However, attacking the end that housed their 3,500 travelling supporters Sunderland were never going to give the game up and almost had a goal back with their next attack. Elliott Embleton got in down the right, his cross cleared up rather than away, and met by Danny Batth from six yards out, but Kaminski got a strong hand to his header to keep it out.

The hope for Rovers would have been to catch them on the break, a good move just after the hour ended by Gallagher hooking wide from a Brittain cross.

There was a spiky edge to the game, played infront of a raucous atmosphere, but Sunderland were letting Rovers off the hook with some poor set plays.

Brereton couldn’t quite arch himself to turn in a Szmodics cross after his initial burst set up the break, before Rovers sent on fresh legs in the form of Tyrhys Dolan and Jack Vale for the final 10 minutes.

That passed without any likelihood of the visitors ever getting themselves back into the match, and they almost signed off in fine style as Hedges’ 40-yard effort caught Patterson off his line, though the ball hit the post and went wide.

 

Rovers: Thomas Kaminski 7, Hayden Carter 7, Dom Hyam 8, Scott Wharton 8, Callum Brittain 8, Tyler Morton 7, Jake Garrett 7, Ryan Hedges 7, Sam Szmodics 7 (Tyrhys Dolan, 78), Sam Gallagher 7 (Jack Vale, 78), Ben Brereton 8  

Subs: Aynsley Pears, Clinton Mola, Ash Phillips, John Buckley, Adam Wharton

Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, Evans (Michut, 80), Batth, Embleton (Bennette, 64), Roberts, O’Nien, Clarke, Pritchard (Diallo, 64), Neil (Ba, 64), Alese (Hume, 73)

Subs: Bass, Wright