Blackburn Rovers may still be looking for their first official win under John Eustace but slowly but surely, building blocks are being put in place.

Saturday's 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Ewood Park was again not the team at their fluent best but a vast improvement, particularly second half, on the away displays at Birmingham City and Cardiff City.

The in-form Canaries posed plenty of problems for Rovers, as you'd expect a side on the coattails of the play-offs to do. 

Chatting to a colleague in the press box, it's quite stark how the fortunes of these two teams have reversed. When Rovers won 3-1 at Carrow Road on November 5, the writing was seemingly on the wall for David Wagner. When he took more than 45 minutes to emerge for his post-match cross-examination, you feared he wouldn't be coming at all.

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Fast forward three and a half months and the change in the dugout is at Ewood Park. In the 19 games that have followed since, Rovers have picked up 19 points. Norwich, 34, the fifth-highest return in that period.

With Rovers still finding their feet and identity in a new era, Norwich did proceed to have most of the ball. Eustace's side pressed well at the start, setting traps and trying to capitalise when they did win the ball high up the pitch.

Whilst Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson are experienced, wily defenders at this level, they do give you a chance. Rovers did that on a few occasions, winning corners and that's where they looked most threatening. 

It felt at one stage like a personal duel between Sam Gallagher and Angus Gunn. The Norwich shot-stopper came out on top, denying him three times, the best of those being a header from 12 yards from a set play.

Although Rovers created chances, Norwich felt in control of the match. Certainly, once they went ahead, the momentum was only heading in one direction.

The replays are still a bit inconclusive as to whether Oliver Langford was correct to rule that John Buckley fouled Kenny McClean. Regardless, it was some strike from Marcelino Nunez, who whipped the free-kick into the top corner.

As Josh Sargent raced through on goal but was denied by Aynsley Pears, the gentlemen to my left muttered 'we'll be lucky to get in at 1-0'. Norwich were in the ascendency and it felt like they could pick Rovers off and get a second.

But to Rovers' credit, they were much better in the second half. They actually created far less but had a greater share in the game, in my opinion.

They'd looked a danger from set-pieces all afternoon and when Dom Hyam nodded in the equaliser, the game became a far more even contest.

That equaliser was the impetus, the shot in the arm, they needed. Suddenly they were engaging higher up the field and disrupting Norwich's rhythm. McClean had dominated the match for 55 minutes but his influence waned once Rovers got a foothold.

Slowly but surely, Eustace is ticking off a few important markers. A first clean sheet in midweek, the first time they've taken a point from behind at Ewood Park this season on Saturday. A second set-piece goal of the season. All good traits to have.

I posed to the Rovers boss after the game that the team were much improved after the second half. He viewed the game differently and felt the performance was quite even, referencing the chances created in the first half and also limiting Norwich to few clear-cut chances in that 45 minutes.

I found that view quite interesting because what he said was correct. It's sparks a wider discussion really, how do you judge a team's performance? If it's on chances created, Rovers did have more clear-cut sights at goal in the first half. But on momentum and possession share, I felt they were certainly second best.

In the second, the reverse. They created less but seemed to have a more even share of the momentum. Perhaps that's an interesting insight into Eustace's approach to prioritise making Rovers an effective football team, where they perhaps lacked under Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Either way, it was an improvement on the display at Cardiff. They barely strung two passes together until Buckley came on, which prompted his first league start of the season.

Without Adam Wharton, Rovers need someone who can put their foot on the ball. Buckley can do that and when they had their best spells of play on the ball, he was at the heart of it.

It's been a stagnant 12 months for the 24-year-old but he is supremely talented, an academy graduate and tied to a long-term deal. I hope he now gets a run in the team for the remainder of the season which can help him recapture his best form.

A word for Harry Pickering too, who was fantastic on his return to the team after injury. He was thrown on after 15 minutes and after a month out, you'd have expected a bit of rust. None of it.

His choice of pass and then the execution was top draw. He's a very clever footballer and an asset to this Rovers team. It was a lovely delivery for Hyam to attack and head in for the equaliser.

Normally, a point against a high-flying play-off chaser would be seen as a good result, particularly from behind. But given how results played out elsewhere in the Championship, it did take the shine off.

Wins for Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield Town, Millwall, Swansea City and Plymouth Argyle have really opened up the scrap for survival. Rovers are 16th but only have a four-point cushion.

After Newcastle, they have a run of Swansea (A), Millwall (H) and Plymouth (H). At the rate other teams are collecting points, they will need a couple of wins just to breathe a little easier.

Project points remains on track but with others hitting some impressive form, Rovers still have one eye nervously over their shoulder.