Tony Mowbray fumes after Blackburn blow late lead against Birmingham

Posted Sunday, December 16, 2018 by PA

Tony Mowbray felt Blackburn had shot themselves in the foot after conceding a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Birmingham at Ewood Park.

Rovers looked on course to make it four home wins from five after Danny Graham’s 19th-minute header and Adam Armstrong’s fifth goal of the season a minute into the second half.

But David Raya’s rush of blood resulted in a needless penalty for the visitors that Craig Gardner emphatically tucked away in the 78th minute and two minutes later Che Adams slotted in an equaliser from close range.

And Mowbray was visibly annoyed at letting a lead slip.

“It’s quite amazing to think we threw away two points having worked so hard to get in to a 2-0 lead in difficult conditions for football,” he said.

“There was a swirling wind, rain for 90 minutes and it wasn’t a great game because the conditions didn’t allow for getting the ball down and playing too much football. Yet to get yourselves 2-0 up going in to the final 15 minutes, we manufactured our way to drop two points.

“We have to accept it, be frustrated by it, but know we have to be better.

“We’ve come back from 2-0 down ourselves down at home to Reading, that’s the way it is.

“It’s a disappointing dressing room because we had the points in the bag.

“They didn’t have a shot in the second half up until David (Raya) goes walkabouts in his penalty area and gives a penalty away.

“Then some pretty poor positional play for the second goal, inside the full back. I’m not sure how we manufactured that to drop two points but we did. We shot ourselves in the foot.”

The Blues have won just once at Ewood Park since 1968, but after making it two unbeaten away, Garry Monk praised the attitude of his side.

He said: “It’s an excellent point for us and a fantastic response to being two down.

“We knew it was poor from us in the first half, especially. I think it was just a case of the conditions and everything that comes with that, but they did the basics much better. We didn’t in that first half.

“We came in a goal down and talked about it at half time, and to go out in the second half and concede again straight away, it doesn’t make it any easier. To be two down, you need character, you need attitude, you need to be able to show a response, and we did that.

“I thought especially that last 20-25 minutes we were better, got ourselves back level, possibly could have gone on and got a third but overall, considering how Blackburn have been here – it’s an extremely difficult place to come and get points – to come away with that point under the circumstances, we have to be very happy with that.”