Football: Rough ride for Blackburn

Brentford 1 Blackburn Rovers 2

Ray Harford was a relieved manager last night, not so much at his side's first victory of the season, which was always liable to come sooner rather than later, but because of the manner in which it was achieved as Blackburn hung on for dear life during a second half that must have seemed like an eternity.

Victory in this Coca-Cola Cup second round first leg was never in much doubt after Chris Sutton had put Blackburn two goals in front, having created the first for Garry Flitcroft three minutes earlier, but their honour on the night was put seriously in jeopardy by the Second Division leaders' stubborn refusal to accept the inevitable.

To say that Tim Flowers' goal led a charmed life after half-time was putting it mildly. "Some of the players have been more critical about this performance than the games we have played and lost," Harford said. "Maybe we're not used to winning but I'm not going to knock it. This is the result which could kick-start our season."

Brentford had come to Griffin Park hoping that history would repeat itself. At the same stage of the competition last season, a win at Swindon did indeed trigger their season. Sutton was on the scoresheet that night for the first and last time in an injury-ravaged campaign. Now he has scored in each of his three starts after nine months' absence.

He looked much more like the pounds 5m player he is as he set up Flitcroft for his first goal - an angled drive - since joining the club from Manchester City in March. Blackburn's second, after 20 minutes, was swept home at the near post by Sutton after a scintillating right-wing run by Yorgos Donis, whereupon the Greek winger was removed from the action because of an earlier injury.

One would have thought that Rovers could then relax, but in injury time in the first half an awkward cross by Scott Canham was palmed away by Flowers only as far as Nick Forster who scored with a near-post drive.

The second half began with a Chris Coleman clearance which rebounded off Canham and rolled narrowly wide of Flowers' post and continued in much the same fashion as Carl Asaba, Jamie Bates and Paul Smith went desperately close to scoring.

Brentford (4-4-2): Deardan; Hurdle, Bates, Ashby, Anderson; Forster, Smith, Canham, Bent (Abrahams, 72); Taylor, Asaba. Substitutes not used: McGhee, Fernandez (gk).

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Flowers; Berg (Pearce, 69), Coleman, Hendry, Kenna; Donis (Fenton, 22), Bohinen, Sherwood, Flitcroft; Sutton, Gallacher. Substitute not used: Given (gk).

Referee: P Durkin (Portland).

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