Lancashire weather strikes again as Blackburn woes go on

Ipswich Town pile pressure on Blackburn Rovers and Valérien Ismaël before Lancashire weather causes second abandonment of the season.

A fair result?

How have we ended up in this situation?

That was the question most Blackburn Rovers fans have been left to ask many times over the past few seasons after various club dramas, but this latest moment of contention was (mostly) out of their control. Yes, some blame can be placed on the shoulders of the club board, who haven't properly invested in fixing the longstanding drainage issues plaguing Ewood Park over the years, but the vast amount of rainfall in East Lancashire on the 20th September would test any pitch. For those who are unaware, this is what happened.

With the rain continuing to fall and the River Darwen bursting at its banks, Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town was brought to a halt by referee Steve Martin before the game was formally abandoned in the 79th minute with the home side 1-0 up. Not only that, but the Tractors were down to ten men after Jacob Greaves had been sent off. In typical EFL fashion, it took days to know what the outcome of the match would be.

Blackburn Rovers have always had a problem with their pitch. A similar situation unfolded last season with a home match against Portsmouth abandoned, and problems were to resurface just a few weeks later. The ground is notorious for having poor drainage, and the proximity of the River Darwen means that once it's full, there is nowhere for water to go, and puddles begin to form on the Ewood Park surface. The game did begin, though and continued until the dying moments when the pitch became unplayable. The EFL were faced with a decision to make.

The Options

One option was for a partial replay. Many fans from both sides were of the opinion that resuming the match at a later date and playing the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time was the fairest way of resolving the situation. However, was this really practical or worth it in such a congested calendar? It could be argued that this option could have caused less stress to the players than having to play a full 90 minutes, but the logistics involved in getting the Suffolk side to travel up to Blackburn just for a quick 11-minute game are worth considering.

The second option, and most preferable amongst Rovers fans, was for the result to stand as of the 79th minute. There is, of course, sense in this, with an Ipswich comeback unlikely considering the circumstances. Blackburn, however, had lost a game in this way already this season when Birmingham came from behind to score two goals in second-half injury time to walk away with a 2-1 victory. Conceding late goals was to become a bad habit. The only other option, and the one the EFL chose, was for the game to be fully replayed. For Town fans, that was obviously the most preferable option with their side well and truly up against it, down by a goal and a man with time running out. A dismal defeat at Ewood Park in a game on paper they would be expected to win would definitely be considered an early-season setback.

This, of course, was a decision that was to be incredibly unpopular amongst the Rovers fans who were minutes away from a first home win of the season. But that was not to be the case. Furthermore, the replayed game would be filled with much more controversy, leading to the Blackburn Rovers manager arriving at his post-match press conference with a list of grievances. A fair few bones to pick with the EFL!

Take 2

The Blackburn Rovers team lining up to take on Ipswich at home again was very different to the side that started 2 months earlier. There were 5 changes to Blackburn's starting eleven, whilst Ipswich had made 6 changes. Two very different sides are coming up against each other.

The first half was relatively quiet, but it was the home side pushing for an opener, looking to respond to Wrexham's last-gasp equaliser at the Racecourse the week before. However, the biggest moment of contention came on the brink of half-time as Morishita, who was the last man having broken in behind the Town defence, was brought down by Azor Matusiwa. A yellow card was all that was shown...

It was the home side who struck first late on into the game as Andri Gudjohnsen headed in Cantwell's corner after a clever flick on from George Pratt, who continues to impress after his return from his curtailed loan spell at Chorley. Many around the footballing world felt justice was about to be served, with Blackburn arguably the better team the second time round, also. However, the exact reason why the game needed to be replayed was about to become clear with Sindre Walle Egeli managing to work the ball into the bottom corner in the 94th minute to rescue a point for the visitors.

"It's happened again"

"You have got to be kidding me" were my words as that goal went in and the travelling Ipswich fans in the away end erupted. "Lost for words" was the reaction of one other. Just 3 days on from conceding a last-minute equaliser to Wrexham, Blackburn Rovers had done it again. And this was exactly why Ipswich Town wanted the game to be replayed.

Valerien Ismael was left furious with the official's decision-making, once again. He pointed out that the officials awarded Ipswich a goal-kick at the other end of the pitch before they went on to score, when replays show it should've been a Blackburn corner. Furthermore, had a penalty been awarded to the home side in the first half, the late goal may not have mattered. The "ifs" and "buts".

That being said, Blackburn were 1-0 up in the 79th minute, as they were in the original game. The only difference was that Ipswich still had 11 players on the field. Whether that extra man made much of a difference to their equaliser, I couldn't possibly comment. They said they would equalise in the last 11 minutes of the game, and they did. But Blackburn have got to be better at seeing games out, especially at home. It has happened numerous times this season at Ewood Park, which should be a fortress. The draw kept the points rolling, but the game in hand was gone.

Wednesday on a Saturday

Another "It's Happened Again!"

Little did anyone know that days later, history was going to repeat itself. Sheffield Wednesday travelled to Ewood Park days after receiving further sanctions by the EFL. The Owls received a further 6-point deduction, leaving them on -10, 27 points from safety on the 1st December and travelled to Blackburn, who have been unable to buy a home win. This was nailed on to be an interesting encounter.

However, an interesting encounter it was not with the two sides pretty evenly matched as we approached the half-hour mark. But it was Blackburn who opened the scoring with Ryoya Morishita picking out Yuki Ohashi on the edge of the six-yard box to put Rovers ahead. A flurry of fouls and subsequent yellow cards, followed, before Moussa Baradji was brought on to replace Adam Forshaw, who was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury. Another patient to add to the Blackburn injury list.

After the break, Ohashi had a couple of shots well saved by Charles in the Wednesday net after the Rovers keeper, Aynsley Pears, reacted well to keep Cadamarteri's effort out immediately after the restart.

Disaster struck in the 60th minute, though many of a Blackburn Rovers persuasion would have seen it coming from a mile off. With the ball beginning to hold up in certain areas of the pitch, referee Ruebyn Ricardo took the players off. The groundsteam did all they could, but after a 10-minute interval, the game was called off for good.

What now?

This was the second time a Blackburn Rovers' home fixture has been abandoned in the second half this season, with Rovers 1-0 up. Should Blackburn Rovers fans be concerned?

Whilst yes, the amount of rainfall on both occasions was unusual, should a Championship pitch be able to withstand more? With League Two Accrington Stanley's FA Cup 2nd Round tie against Mansfield Town played out, including extra time and penalties, this is certainly not a good look. Although, as previously mentioned, Rovers are very vulnerable to the levels of water flowing in the Rover Darwen, with the pitch's main drainage outlet behind the Riverside stand. However, the River Darwen at Ewood was recorded at a height of 0.71m at 4:15pm, well within the normal state, which suggests there is a deeper issue with why the Ewood Park pitch is not draining as it should.

And there lies the big question. Should more have been done in the past to avoid situations like this? This latest abandonment certainly sheds light on the lack of investment in Ewood Park over the last few years. A new drainage system is now clearly a priority to avoid further embarrassment, if it can be funded.

The EFL are certainly going to be asking some interesting questions, and with a home fixture against Oxford United on Tuesday and the weather forecast showing no sign of the rain relenting, are Blackburn Rovers in trouble?

Despite back-to-back home games for Blackburn Rovers, the wait for a second home win goes on. The Lancashire side have now had more abandonments than home wins this season.