The return of football for the 2023-24 season saw two of last year’s promotion contenders facing off at Ewood Park. Blackburn Rovers finished last season missing out on the play-offs by goal difference, whereas West Bromwich Albion finished 3 points out of the play-off spots. Neither team really did a ton in the off-season to strengthen their teams, so it looked to be a relatively even match-up for the opener.

It was an opening 20 minutes of frustration for Blackburn fans. Rovers barely had any possession, and only a few touches outside their end, as West Brom was clearly the dominant team. Aynsley Pears was the most noticeable player, as he had a few saves to make, since it was all Rovers defending. 

Completely against the run of play in the 20th minute, Rovers attacked the West Brom goal. There was some mix-up in passing, and it seemed like Rovers were going to lose it. Instead of turning it over, it was passed to a wide angle for Dilan Markanday (20’), who slotted it between the keeper and defender, just inside the far post.

Celebrations had barely subsided, when not even a minute of play later saw Rovers going up by two goals. Harry Leonard (22’) received the ball from an even wider angle in the West Brom box, and slotted past the keeper as well.

The majority of possession for the first half was for West Brom, but they couldn’t sustain the pressure on Rovers. It was a physical affair, with a lot of fouls and a few yellow cards, especially for Rovers. The new stoppage time rules really came into play, with 7 minutes announced, but Blackburn ended the half in the pouring rain up by two goals.

The half-time break did more for West Brom than it did for Rovers. It was immediate pressure against Rovers, with a call for a penalty for handball after less than two minutes. The shouts were waved away, but West Brom didn’t have to wait much longer. Dilan Markanday gave up the ball in the Rovers half, and Matt Phillips (50’) put it past the Rovers defender and a diving Pears to immediately bring them back into the game.

It wasn’t until the hour mark that Rovers finally got going with any offensive pressure. This culminated in the 68th minute with Leonard receiving the ball wide open in the West Brom box. The keeper had slipped and was trying to stand back up, but Leonard put the ball wide of the net, missing out on his second professional goal which could have sealed the win. Two minutes later he got the ball just behind the final defender and put the ball wide across the other side of the net. 

As the minutes died, Rovers were finally the better team overall, going into an absurdly long 9 minutes of stoppage time. Being up by one goal, this can be an extremely nervy chance to blow it, but they were never in too much trouble. Aside from the two quick goals, Rovers didn’t really pressure on the offense, but I would like to point towards Sammie Smozdics and Tyrhys Dolan for working hard when they had the ball. For me though, even though he put two shots wide, Harry Leonard with his first goal was the standout. It was tight at times, but a well-deserved win.

Finally, as an American, I cannot finish without pointing out the pre-match announcement to “welcome home a true Rovers legend”, with Brad Friedel waving to the fans from the pitch. It was great to see him again, and it makes me proud to know an American can be considered a true Rovers legend.