Mowbray hails Blackburn character after edging out Southend

Posted Sunday, April 08, 2018 by PA

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray felt his team showed real desire after edging out Southend 1-0 to remain top of League One.

Danny Graham settled this nervy encounter in the 59th winner with a close-range header – his 16th goal of the season.

It clinched a game in which Blackburn were not at their fluent best and only a stunning injury-time save and frantic clearance ensured Rovers took the points.

Blackburn remain top of the league with six games to go, after extending their unbeaten home run to 18 games.

After securing their fourth win on the bounce, Mowbray admitted at this stage of the season results are all that matter.

He said: “It was a very tough game. For a team sitting mid-table, it just shows you how every game is difficult. One goal is never enough as we found out there late on – nearly conceded, a few penalty shouts.

“It was a pretty nervous last 5-10 minutes for us but we’re just ticking them off at the minute. It doesn’t really matter about the performance level.

“If that had been in the first dozen games of the season, I’d have more concern and said we have to be better and play better football, and yet it’s about us winning games at this moment.

“It takes all sorts to try and get out of divisions and win promotions. You can have days when you’re scintillating, on other days you have to show your character, drive and desire to win football matches to get over the line and it was a bit of that today.”

Southend moved up to 11th despite defeat – only the third of Chris Powell’s tenure.

The Shrimpers boss felt they should have had a penalty in an encouraging performance.

He said: “We should have got something. I thought our performance from start to finish was befitting of a side that’s higher in the league.

“Our game-plan was good, we grew into the game and, OK, we go 1-0 down and are chasing the game but I thought the way we went about it – the changes we made, change to the shape – they [the players] took to it.

“We really took the game to them and I’m standing here now wondering how we didn’t get a point at least because not only was there a goalmouth scramble that was crazy enough, I think there was a penalty.

“I’ve seen it now, I know a lot of managers say they haven’t seen it when they have. Why would he [Simon Cox] go down in the six-yard area? He got a push, but sometimes they go for you and sometimes they don’t.”