Blackburn Rovers host West Bromwich Albion this Sunday looking to keep their 100% start to the new Championship term and claim a first win over the Baggies since January 2019.
Blackburn Rovers seeking first win over West Brom since January 2019
Jon Dahl Tomasson has enjoyed a perfect start to his tenure at Ewood Park with Blackburn Rovers atop the Championship table as the only team to win their opening two games. But he will now bid for the Lancashire natives’ first win over West Bromwich Albion since 2019.
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Tony Mowbray oversaw Blackburn’s last win over West Brom at home on New Year’s Day, three years ago. Charlie Mulgrew broke the deadlock for Rovers seven minutes after half-time, before Bradley Dack doubled their lead until Jay Rodriguez converted from the spot.
Blackburn went into their last win over West Brom as the struggling side, having lost each of their previous three games. They were also without a win in five, having drawn twice to rank in the bottom-half whilst the Baggies fought for a place in the automatic promotion spots.
The story is flipped this weekend as Tomasson prepares to host Steve Bruce’s squad as the form side. West Brom visit Ewood Park this Sunday, August 14, still searching for their first win of the new Championship season, having drawn 1-1 with Middlesbrough and Watford.
Three-points for Blackburn this weekend would end their four-match search for a win over West Brom. The fixture has seen the Hawthorns natives win, draw, win, draw in the games between the two teams. West Brom won 2-1 on their trip to Lancashire in August last year.
So, with that in mind, who did Mowbray field the last time Blackburn took a win over West Brom as Tomasson strives to maintain his perfect start to life as a Championship manager?
David Raya (GK): Brentford star opened last Blackburn win over West Brom
David Raya was nearing what would be the end of his Blackburn spell the last time Rovers beat West Brom. The goalkeeper spent seven years in Lancashire from 2012 to 2019 after joining in his youth, and stayed for 108 senior games before his £3m transfer to Brentford.
Elliott Bennett (RB): Versatile midfielder now in League One with Shrewsbury
Elliott Bennett spent five years at Ewood Park from his arrival from Norwich City in January 2016 to last July. Rovers released the versatile midfielder, who joined Shrewsbury Town in a Bosman deal, following 192 appearances in all competitions for nine goals and 19 assists.
Darragh Lenihan (CB): Defender has joined Middlesbrough in freebie this year
Darragh Lenihan saw that his Blackburn career came to an end this June after he rejected a new deal at Ewood Park. The defender then moved to Championship rivals Middlesbrough, following 252 first-team appearances for Rovers after graduating from the club’s academy.
Charlie Mulgrew (CB): Captained Blackburn to Rovers’ last win over West Brom
Mulgrew captained Blackburn and broke the deadlock the last time Rovers took a win over West Brom back in 2019. The defender opened the scoring in the 53rd-minute with a long-range attempt from the right with a left-footed hit into the bottom-left corner of the goal.
The 44-cap Scotland international spent five years under contract at Ewood Park between 2016 and 2021. He moved to Lancashire from Glasgow giants Celtic and progressed to play 109 games with Rovers, before joining Dundee United after loans to Wigan and Fleetwood.
Amari’i Bell (LB): Former Ewood Park star now chasing promotion with Luton
Former Blackburn star Amari’i Bell is now chasing promotion into the Premier League with Luton Town. The left-back joined the Hatters following his release by Rovers last July, after the five-cap Jamaica ace enjoyed 99 outings following his arrival from Fleetwood in 2018.
Corry Evans (CDM): Blackburn arrival helped Sunderland into the Championship
Corry Evans started the last time Blackburn beat West Brom in 2019, during his eight-year stay at Ewood Park. Rovers signed the midfielder off Hull City in 2013, and he enjoyed 220 outings before joining Sunderland last July and winning promotion into the Championship.
Harrison Reed (CDM): Fulham acquired former Rovers loanee from Southampton
Fulham signed Harrison Reed from Southampton in August 2020 for £6m after making his loan spell permanent upon promotion to the Premier League. Blackburn had hired the 27-year-old from the Saints the previous term, in which he featured 33 times with six assists.
Lewis Travis (RM): Blackburn star involved in red card clash in win over West Brom
Lewis Travis was involved in a late clash with Jake Livermore that saw Oliver Langford send the West Brom ace off the last time Blackburn beat the Baggies. Livermore was issued with his marching orders three minutes from time for his second dismissal of the 2018/19 term.
The 2018/19 campaign was Travis’ breakthrough season as a senior player at Ewood Park, having joined from Liverpool in his youth. He has since gone on to amass 156 appearances in all competitions and is now Blackburn’s captain at 24 ahead of them hosting West Brom.
Bradley Dack (CAM): Goalscorer in last Blackburn win over West Brom
Dack doubled Blackburn’s lead the last time Rovers took a win over West Brom at home on New Year’s Day in 2019. The midfielder found the top-left corner of the net with a left-foot strike from the centre of the penalty box for his 10th goal of the 2018/19 league campaign.
Rovers signed Dack from Gillingham in 2017 and continue to employ the 28-year-old, with his contract running to 2023 with an option for an extra 12 months. Over that time, he has amassed 141 appearances for the Ewood Park natives with 51 goals and 26 assists so far.
Adam Armstrong (LM): Forward now Premier League player with Southampton
Adam Armstrong assisted Dack to double Blackburn’s lead the last time Rovers beat West Brom. The versatile striker now at Southampton picked out his former Ewood Park partner after a quick break, after the Baggies failed to use a corner to good effect at the other end.
Blackburn acquired Armstrong from Newcastle United for £1.5m, plus a 40% sell-on clause, ahead of the 2018/19 season after an initial loan deal. The 25-year-old went on to score 64 times and assist 19 over 160 games before joining the Saints for £15m during August 2021.
Danny Graham (ST): Starter of last Blackburn win over West Brom retired in 2021
Danny Graham started the game brightly the last time Blackburn beat West Brom in 2019. But the forward could not poke the ball past Sam Johnstone in the away net with his flurry of early chances. His influence also regressed the more that the first 45 minutes wore on.
Blackburn had signed Graham on loan from Sunderland in January 2016, before signing the striker permanently that summer. He would feature 191 times for Rovers, before returning to the Stadium of Light in 2020 for the final year of his career and retiring in February 2021.
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