A few random facts and statistics after the 4-2 thriller against Derby on Friday night…

• This was the 10th opening match against Derby and it’s been the first fixture for 6 of the last 14 times the teams have been in the same division

• Rovers also faced a Derby team wearing yellowish kits on the 9th August at the start of the Roy Hodgson era in 1997

• If you’re in the camp that Damien Johnson and David Lowe should take the credit for the Stoke City win in February, this was John Eustace’s first home victory as Rovers manager at the eighth attempt

• It was the fourth successive win on the opening day of the league season, which has followed a barren decade from 2010 onwards

• It was the sixth successive home match to start the campaign (2020/21 kicked off with the League Cup against Doncaster Rovers)

• The gate of 17,975 was the highest opening attendance at Ewood since relegation from the Premier League in 2012

• It’s now seven wins from the last eight meetings with Derby

• Four is the most goals scored by Rovers on the opening day since August 2003, when Rovers thrashed newly promoted Wolves 5-1 in the Premier League

• The 4-2 scoreline was the same as the famous play-off semi-final victory over Derby at Ewood in May 1992

• John Eustace ends his run of 7 matches without a win at home. Only Graeme Souness has had a worse individual spell in the league (9), while Jim Iley and John Pickering combined to make a club record of 11

• Three goals were scored by substitutes – but not for the first time. Zak Gilsenan, Tom Bloxham and James Edmondson all scored from the bench last season in the 8-0 League Cup rout of Harrogate Town

• Rovers only produced three goals from substitutes in the whole of the 2023/24 league campaign

• Andreas Weimann scored eight minutes into his debut with just his second touch. Plenty have done it quicker, but this was closely reminiscent of Roque Santa Cruz’s header three minutes after coming on as sub at Middlesbrough in 2007

• Goals from two debutants on the opening day brings back good memories: Stuart Ripley & Alan Shearer scored in the 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace in 1992, while Lorenzo Amoruso & Brett Emerton managed the feat in the 5-1 win over Wolves in 2003

• Rovers might make it to 1100 players to have played competitive matches for the club this season. Debuts were made by Makhtar Gueye (‘matricule’ 1089), Andi Weimann (1090), Yuki Ohashi (1091) and Danny Batth (1092)

• Ohashi is the first Japanese player to make a first-team appearance for Rovers and Weimann is the first Austrian

• Gueye is the third Senegalese player, after El Hadji Diouf and Mame Biram Diouf

• The number 23 enigma: David Batty, Garry Flitcroft, Christian Dailly, Lee Carsley, Alan Mahon, Alan Kelly, Sebastian Pelzer, Brett Emerton, Vratislav Greško, Lorenzo Amoruso, Jason Brown, Robbie Fowler, Junior Hoilett, Rubén Rochina, Karim Rekik, Bryan Dabo, Doneil Henry, Danny Guthrie, Bradley Dack, Adam Wharton, John Fleck, Yuki Ohashi

Thanks for reading. Any corrections and additions are much appreciated – please email roversfanzine@gmail.com