Blackburn Rovers

The BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team have taken a look at the Championship relegation picture, with some huge games in store at the end of the international break.

Easter Monday (6 April) sees Blackburn and West Brom face-off, level on points just above the drop zone, just hours after second-bottom Oxford United head to Portsmouth.

Third-bottom Leicester will also head to Portsmouth and Blackburn during the run-in.

Former Watford and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff said: "We know Easter weekend is absolutely pivotal and that Portsmouth v Oxford game is looming large, though they both have another game first (on Good Friday).

"It could genuinely could come down to those matches against the teams in and around you. They are absolutely massive.

"Portsmouth are, at the moment, the team I'd be a little bit concerned about in terms of their current form.

"You take it game by game, of course, but that is 100% one everyone in the squad is looking at going 'we need to win that game - if we are going to stay up that is a must win.'

"This two weeks now for Portsmouth is going to be the longest because it's doom and gloom - (losing) 6-1 against a team on their holidays in QPR (in their final game before the break)."

McAnuff also hailed the impact of interim West Brom boss James Morrison, who has taken eight points from his five games at the helm after replacing Eric Ramsey, winning the past two and only being denied three straight wins by a last-gasp leveller against Southampton.

"The big thing about those games - clean sheets," McAnuff said. "When you are in a battle, being hard to beat is the fundamental thing.

"They were really close against Southampton and got pegged back right in the last couple of minutes. It could have been a killer blow.

"To come back from that and now find those couple of wins, they'll have gone into this break absolutely bouncing. The confidence, that feeling back in the dressing room, is absolutely massive at this stage.

"Massive credit to James Morrison because there were a few eyebrows raised. He knows the club inside out and sometimes that's what it takes.

"At the moment he's had a really positive upturn."

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor

Image source, Shutterstock

How many times have you heard the phrase, "if this had been a boxing match, it would have been stopped"?

Blackburn's goalless draw with Middlesbrough was one of those games where one side dominated for very long periods, with the other trying desperately to remain where they started.

I'm convinced this was a game Rovers would have lost earlier this season. But credit to them, they were solid. They were miles away from being spectacular, but who knows how important the point could prove to be on 2 May?

The first half of Saturday was reminiscent of an FA Cup tie where it was teams from two different divisions going head to head.

That isn't intended to be disrespectful to Blackburn, who were again hit by injuries to key players. It's just the way it was.

Boro were strong, athletic, full of running and had midfielders making intelligent third man runs - and almost getting there on a number of occasions.

Balazs Toth was forced into making a couple of high-class saves in the process.

The second half wasn't quite a repeat of the same in terms of clear-cut chances, but Boro still called the tune for the vast majority of it.

Rovers had fleeting forays into the opposition box, but when half-chances arrived, it didn't really look like the belief was there to take them.

Todd Cantwell and Yuki Ohashi were certainly positive changes that livened up the front line.

On Saturday my co-commentator Kevin Gallacher made the point that Rovers boss Michael O'Neill is well used to matches like this from his two spells in charge of Northern Ireland.

That view was shared by O'Neill, who feels the way to get out of trouble with the tools at his disposal is to focus on the structure of the team, do lots of work out of possession and basically be solid more than spectacular.

When the final whistle was blown on Saturday, I think his approach was appreciated by the supporters. The reality of the situation Rovers are in is that if they were to go toe-to-toe with the best in the league, they would be undone.

They have to find victories to stay in the Championship, but they also can't let games run away from them like others around them in the table are doing at the moment.

The Easter double header against West Midlands opposition - Birmingham away and West Bromwich Albion at home - will be the next two "cup finals" in this scrap to finish above the dotted line.

And they will have to do it without yet another senior player in Hayden Carter who has succumbed to injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

I mentioned when O'Neill was appointed that if he could call on the services of seven key players until the end of the season, they'd have a good chance of staying up.

Three of those, including Carter, Sondre Tronstad and Andri Gudjohnsen, won't kick another ball this campaign, while the battling qualities of Lewis Miller remain on the sidelines.

It's imperative the injury list doesn't gain any more new names. Saturday's bench included promising academy youngsters Frank Vare and Valentin Joseph, with neither having played a senior career game.

The starting line-up included another academy graduate in Tom Atcheson. He was terrific as the right-sided centre back of three. So much so that his club manager has called him up to the Northern Ireland senior squad for the very first time this week.

It's all remaining hands to the pump for seven more outings in the space of 23 days starting on Good Friday. Who could possibly predict the outcome?

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Blackburn defender Hayden Carter is not expected to be available for the Championship run-in due to injury.

The 26-year-old hobbled off at the end of the first half during Rovers' 2-1 win at Millwall on 14 March and was replaced by teenager Tom Atcheson.

Carter has missed most of this season with hamstring and calf problems before returning in time for interim boss Michael O'Neill's appointment last month.

He was not in the squad for Saturday's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, and following the match, O'Neill confirmed Carter's latest injury set-back.

"It's not good news. He played a lot of minutes in the seven games since I've came in and if we see him before the end of the season we'll be lucky," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's a four to six-week injury and obviously it's a big blow for us."

Blackburn's final game of the season is against Leicester on 2 May unless they can climb from 19th into the play-off spots.

On Sunday, Carter wrote on Instagram: "Gutted. Probably one game too many.

"I'll do everything to get back as soon as possible but in the meantime I'll be supporting the team to get the results we need."

Head coach Michael O'Neill says he wants to build up Blackburn Rovers' positivity after taking points off another Championship promotion contender.

Seven days after winning at Millwall, Blackburn dug deep to share a goalless draw with Middlesbrough.

It moved them another point towards safety with Rovers having collected 11 points from O'Neill's eight games in charge.

There is work to do but the Northern Ireland boss is happy with how his club team's resilience is developing.

"It's hugely important for us not to concentrate on the league table," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Where we are at the minute is how do we continue to build on that positivity and get momentum.

"That gives us four points from two very difficult games with teams in the top four and once we come back from the international break, hopefully the players will be refreshed and a little bit stronger in terms of our options, and we've got Birmingham away and West Brom at home, two huge games.

"All we can do is ask the players to fight and give what they gave and I thought they were magnificent and the fans saw that today in the performance."

Blackburn Rovers defender Hayden Carter has not yet been ruled out of their game against Middlesbrough on Saturday (12:30 GMT), boss Michael O'Neill has said.

The 26-year-old was substituted just before half-time in their 2-1 victory over Millwall with another hamstring issue.

Carter has endured an injury-hit season, playing only one game before his comeback in February after struggling with hamstring and calf problems.

"We are going to give Hayden every chance to play," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's hard to say really on that one but we will try and hopefully see how things go over the next 24 hours."

However, midfielder Todd Cantwell's return from a foot injury that kept him out for five league matches appears to be going smoothly.

The Rovers skipper made his comeback from the bench against Oxford on 11 March before joining the starting XI for last Saturday's game against the Lions.

"You need all your big players in these types of situation," O'Neill added.

"It was a real positive that he put himself out there. To get to where he got to, 60 minutes in the Millwall game, was a big plus given that he trained very little having been out for the best part of four or five weeks."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Listen to more Blackburn Rovers content on BBC Sounds

Blackburn Rovers will hope to upset the hunt for automatic promotion places once again when they welcome second placed Middlesbrough on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Rovers beat a 10-man Millwall last time out to prevent the Lions from leapfrogging Boro into the top two.

The Teesside club are still under threat from Millwall though, as well as third placed Ipswich Town, and have failed to win either of their past two Championship games (D1 L1).

However, a win will mean just as much to Rovers, who are only three points above the relegation zone and seeking more breathing space at the bottom.

• The last four Championship meetings between Blackburn (1) and Middlesbrough (2) have produced just three goals, with this season's reverse fixture finishing 0-0 at the Riverside.

• Middlesbrough won in this exact fixture last season (2-0 in April 2025); they haven't won consecutive league matches at Ewood Park since the 1980s (won three between 1986 and 1989).

• Blackburn have won three of their seven Championship games under Michael O'Neill (D1 L3), as many victories as they had in their 18 league games prior to O'Neill's arrival (W3 D7 L8).

• Middlesbrough are winless in their last two Championship games (D1 L1); they only scored one goal across those two matches, despite attempting 53 shots, amassing 5.05 expected goals, and having 122 touches in the opposition box.

• Morgan Whittaker has averaged a goal or assist every 139 minutes under Kim Hellberg; his best minutes per goal involvement ratio under any manager in the Championship (min. 5 games).

Image source, Getty Images

There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.

Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.

With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.

• Would you want VAR introduced for every league game in the Championship?

• If so, why?

• And if not, let us know your reasons.

You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.

Blackburn Rovers defender Sean McLoughlin says the team have shared "some truths" in a bonding session as they try to stay in the Championship.

Saturday's 2-1 win at promotion-chasers Millwall has taken Rovers up to 19th in the table, three points clear of the relegation places with eight matches to play.

The squad stayed away in a hotel following Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Oxford United.

"Being in the hotel four or five days is obviously long, being away from family, but we had a chance to have a good honest chat after Oxford," McLoughlin told BBC Lancashire.

"We had a meeting Thursday morning and just spoke amongst ourselves, and said some truths. That's the benefit of being down there together, to get the chance to do that."

Rovers have taken 10 points from seven games under Michael O'Neill, who replaced Valérien Ismaël in February, and McLoughlin says the trip was a good opportunity to bond further.

"The staff have come in and there's been so many games, so we haven't had a chance to get to know each other - its been relentless," he said. "Just to be able to chill and have a meal together and spend some time with each other has been a really good thing.

"We weren't the worse team in the world on Wednesday, and we're not the best team now. We just need to be consistent".

McLoughlin added: "We're going into a tough game against Middlesbrough on Saturday, but anybody can beat anybody in this league.

"Charlton showed it against them last week, so we just have to build the momentum, keep going.

"Confidence is massive in football. The Millwall win is going to do us the world of good. We now know we are good enough. Things have gone against us this season, but we have to bounce back and go again."

New January signing Mathias Jorgensen scored twice as a second-half substitute at the Den to make it five goals in 13 appearances since arriving from Bodo/Glimt.

"The two lads, Matty and Yuki (Ohashi) work their socks off for the team," McLoughlin added. "They're top professionals, whether they're playing or not, they're always prepared to come on and be in the mindset to help the team."

Image source, Getty Images

Blackburn Rovers head coach Michael O'Neill says he was thrilled with his team's response in coming from behind to win at promotion-chasing Millwall.

Trailing 1-0 with 10 minutes to go, Mathias Jorgensen scored twice to turn it around and claim a valuable first win in five games as Rovers moved up to 19th and three points clear of the drop zone.

And having only claimed one point from matches against relegation rivals in the last few days in drawing with Portsmouth and losing at Oxford United, Blackburn turned their week around.

"It's been a challenging week," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We knew the significance of it with playing Portsmouth and then Oxford away and having to come here, which we knew would be difficult.

"The early part didn't go as we'd have planned but the reaction was very good.

"A big commitment from the players - we kept them down (south) between the games and the performance was excellent.

"Maybe I was a little harsh on them on Wednesday, we weren't as poor as I thought.

"It's often difficult in the Championship when you go behind, it's difficult to play against teams. We learned that lesson, we went behind today and we showed real character and real quality to win the game."

Millwall could move into the automatic promotion spots when they welcome Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Should Middlesbrough fail to win Bristol City in the lunchtime kick-off, the Lions could overtake their promotion rivals if they extend their winning streak to a fifth consecutive league game.

But Rovers also have a lot on the line, with just one point keeping them safe from the bottom three as things stand and in real danger of dropping back into the relegation zone.

• Millwall have won two of their last 20 league games against Blackburn Rovers (D6 L12), 1-0 home wins in 2019-20 and 2024-25.

• Blackburn have won 16 points in their last seven league games against Millwall (W5 D1 L1), winning each of their last two against the Lions.

• Millwall have lost four of their last six league games when starting the day 20+ points ahead of their opponents in the table (W2), losing 3-1 to Portsmouth most recently in February despite a 20-point pre-match advantage.

• Blackburn have won five of their last eight away league games in London (L3), winning 3-1 at QPR in their most recent capital visit.

• Mihalio Ivanovic has netted in two of his three Championship appearances against Blackburn, including the winner in a 1-0 win at the Den last season.

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

After the latest round of Championship games, it would now be a major surprise if the two clubs to join Sheffield Wednesday in League One next season are not from the five sides currently immediately above them.

Back-to-back wins followed Michael O'Neill's appointment as Blackburn head coach but one draw and three defeats in their past four games has left Rovers a point above the trap door.

His team now have nine games to salvage their second-tier status.

They were 90 seconds or so away from four straight defeats, had Hayden Carter's late header against Portsmouth not earned them a point last Saturday.

Make no mistake, they are in trouble – big trouble.

The performance against Oxford did not reflect a team fighting for their lives.

It was nowhere near the level required for the Championship, particularly in the first half. Chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" came from the away supporters.

A lack of leadership on the pitch, a formation that did not look particularly in sync from one side to the other, some defensive frailties and the absence of any real threat in the front line.

Two attempts on target, following one attempt on target on Saturday, is a far cry from O'Neill's first match in charge when they scored three on the road at QPR.

I said when Rovers made their managerial change that if they kept their go-to players fit, I thought they had enough quality to stay up.

The reality is they haven't kept them fit. And the proof has been in the pudding since they went out of the team.

From the 20-man squad that went to Loftus Road on Valentine's Day, they were without Sondre Tronstad, Lewis Miller, Andri Gudjohnsen, Connor O'Riordan and Kristi Montgomery at Oxford.

The loss of Tronstad is enormous and felt in every game. Miller is certainly someone you would look at in your dressing room and back to roll his sleeves up and give you absolutely everything.

Gudjohnsen, prior to his pre-Christmas injury, was a striker in form. Two of those three mentioned above have had season-ending surgeries, with Gudjohnsen soon to follow suit.

The squad is boosted by the return to fitness of captain Todd Cantwell and long-serving Scott Wharton. For me, both are in the best XI O'Neill has got.

It's a time for everyone to stand up and be counted. For every player to realise what relegation will mean for a club like Blackburn Rovers.

For those who have been around the block a few times, it is up to them to make the rest aware of the situation and how serious it is.

The remaining nine games include meetings with the top three and home matches against two of the five they are up against in the battle to survive.

Strap yourselves in; this will be a bumpy ride.

Image source, Getty Images

Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O'Neill said that their first half performance was to blame for their loss to Oxford United.

Jamie Donley scored the game's only goal as Rovers registered a fourth Championship game without a win.

O'Neill's side are now just one point above the relegation zone with nine league games remaining this season.

"I'm disappointed with the result and performance, particularly in the first half," he told BBC Radio Lancashire., external

"In the second we were much more improved, but we were poor in the first half and that's where we lost the game.

"Overall it doesn't really matter what system you play when you can't take care of the ball, we gave it away cheaply and that cost us tonight.

"I think we could have been stronger defensively too, we've got nine games left and have to maximise what we can take in those games.

"The squad's extremely stretched and it's unlikely we'll get any of the injured players back before the international break so that will be a challenge."

Blackburn Rovers manager Michael O'Neill has been speaking to the media before their trip to Oxford United on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Here are the main talking points:

• Blackburn continue to be hit with injury woes as striker Andri Gudjohnsen was spotted after the 1-1 draw with Portsmouth wearing a boot. "He damaged his ankle, he has had a scan. He will see a specialist in the next 24 hours and until then we don't know the full extent of the damage." O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.

• Defender Connor O'Riordan is also injured: "Connor has a thigh injury just picked up in training," O'Neill confirmed. "You want your squad as fit and healthy as possible but unfortunately I think Connor has a four to six week recovery timeframe." Midfielder Kristi Montgomery is a doubt with a hamstring issue.

• O'Neill is still searching for his best XI as players continue to return from injury that are yet to play for him. "Some of the lads coming back in are an unknown quantity to me, like Sidnei Tavares for example."

• Despite using a back four in the 3-1 win at Queens Park Rangers, O'Neill believes using a three-man defence with wing-backs suits his available squad better. "You have to try and shape whatever system you play around the players you have available."

• There is some "anxiety" surrounding the run-in but O'Neill sees every one of the remaining 10 games as "an opportunity to put some distance between ourselves and the teams beneath us." Each game is a chance "to step further away from the relegation zone."

• On their next opponents Oxford United, O'Neill said: "we expect a very tough game. Having had long periods of not winning they've recently picked up a couple of wins so it will be tough. They're a threat from set pieces and the players are aware of that."

Listen to more from Michael O'Neill and all things Blackburn Rovers on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Opta

A win for Oxford United on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) would make it three consecutive league victories for the first time since January 2025.

Blackburn Rovers will arrive at The Kassam Stadium having won more points away from Lancashire (21) than at Ewood Park (18).

• Oxford have won just one of their past eight league games against Blackburn (D3 L4), though it was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Blackburn have won three of their five league meetings with Oxford this century, but are winless in the last two (D1 L1).

• Following their 2-1 victory against West Brom, Oxford are looking to win consecutive home league games for the first time since March/April 2025.

• Blackburn have won just one of their past nine away league games (D3 L5), beating QPR 3-1 last month.

• Coming into this round of matches, only bottom side Sheffield Wednesday (11) have failed to score in more different Championship home games than Oxford (8) this season.

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire, sport editor

Image source, Shutterstock

This wasn't a game for the neutral to sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy two Championship teams going head to head.

It felt very much like a game that both teams were desperate not to lose.

With six minutes of normal time to play, it looked highly likely that both head coaches could have shaken hands and taken a point each. The sign of a goal coming was pretty non existent.

Both goalkeepers were probably shivering in the East Lancashire breeze.

Then came the opener. Blackburn sloppily conceded possession, resulting in a free-kick.

As is so often the case this season at all levels, the initial ball was dealt with but the concentration level of the defending team was left wanting for the second phase.

Connor Ogilvie smashed in his first goal in 13 months, courtesy of a deflection, and it very much looked like maximum points were heading to the south coast.

For Rovers, it was a case of more home disappointment. They were going head-on into their 10th league defeat at Ewood Park this season.

To their credit, for the second time in three home games under new boss Michael O'Neill, they scored in stoppage time.

• Carter strikes late as Blackburn hold Portsmouth

It was a Yuki Ohashi header against Preston North End. This time it was left to Hayden Carter to break the hearts of the Pompey fans who took him to their hearts during a successful loan in 2022.

Goals in back-to-back games for Carter, whose return has been one of the more welcome stories of the season.

The game could have been different had Ohashi found the net early on after being picked out by Ryoya Morishita, but he missed the target. Ohashi and Andri Gudjohnsen have both spurned huge chances in the last two games.

For a team that doesn't carve out chance after chance, being clinical is all important.

After the 3pm kick-offs, Oxford moved back into the bottom three despite being the only team to win in the bottom six.

The table will look different again before Rovers play at Oxford on Wednesday night, with Leicester and Portsmouth both at home on Tuesday night.

O'Neill told me that he felt the battle to stay up could go the distance, right to the final day.

With 10 games to go, it's the toughest of calls to say who will join Sheffield Wednesday in League One next season.

From a Rovers point of view, they can't afford their injury list to grow more names. It's highly debatable that the squad is strong enough if they do.

"If you can't win a game, don't lose it, and that's exactly what we managed to do."

That was the sentiment of Blackburn boss Michael O'Neill, who watched his side snatch a late draw against fellow Championship strugglers Portsmouth in a tight game at Edwood Park.

O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"The game probably tells you where both teams are, the seasons they have had, and what is at stake.

"We have to be pleased, given we were behind going into stoppage time. I thought we showed good character to keep going. We had the better chances, but we were a bit tense and nervous at times.

"We limited them to very little but we didn't take care of the ball enough to take control of the game. But if you can't win the game the key is not to lose it and we managed not to do that.

"We are disappointed not have had a penalty awarded to us at 0-0, too, and if he [Yuki Ohashi] makes good contact in the first few minutes it would have been a different situation.

"In terms of attitude the lads gave everything they should. The subs gave us energy when they came on, too."