Blackburn Rovers picked up what could be a potentially important point in their battle to avoid relegation from the Championship.
After three consecutive away games, John Eustace’s side returned to Ewood Park, where they welcomed Norwich City.
After trailing 1-0 at half time to an excellent Marcelino Nunez free-kick, captain Dominic Hyam headed home from a corner to equalise for the hosts ten minutes after the break.
That was enough to secure a 1-1 draw, and a point for Blackburn Rovers. As a result, they remain 16th in the Championship table.
Results elsewhere though, mean they are now just four points clear of the relegation zone. Eustace will therefore no doubt have plenty to think about coming away from that match.
So we’ve taken a look at three things we learned about Blackburn Rovers from that draw with Norwich City, right here.
Defensive resilience is growing
Conceding goals has been a major problem for the club this season. Only bottom side Rotherham United (66) have let in more goals than Blackburn Rovers (60) in the Championship this season.
Coming into this one, Norwich City had scored a total of 12 goals in their previous four games. This could therefore have been seen as a tough test of the host’s backline. However, they stood up to that well, limiting the Canaries’ in terms of opportunities, with only a brilliant set-piece getting the visitors on the scoresheet.
There has been an emphasis on making Blackburn Rovers stronger at the back since Eustace came in, and this showing again indicated that they are moving in the right direction in that respect.
Harry Pickering makes a timely return for Blackburn Rovers
Having missed each of his side’s last six games due to injury, Harry Pickering was back on the substitutes bench at Ewood Park on Saturday.
The left-back then found himself back in the action after just 20 minutes, replacing the injured Ryan Hedges. Pickering though, wasted no time in settling back into the action. Not only was it his excellent corner that led to the Blackburn Rovers equaliser, but his all-round passing was brilliant, while he did his job defesively too.
With that in mind, if Hedges is now facing another stint on the sidelines, the fact Pickering produced a performance like this on his return will be a big relief for those at Ewood Park.
Sam Szmodics shows his commitment to the cause
While he may not have added to his prolific goals tally for this season on Saturday, Sam Szmodics did find another way to endear himself to the Blackburn Rovers faithful.
Despite becoming a father for the second time just hours before kick-off, the attacker was still included in the starting lineup against the Canaries. He would go on to play the full 90 minutes of the game, despite Eustace revealing post-match that Szmodics did not get any sleep the night before.
Given the pressure the club are under and his importance to the side, the Szmodics is ready to make that effort for his team in such circumstances, is something Blackburn Rovers will appreciately hugely.