Article
Rovers give Allardyce a boost with win over Bolton
BOLTON, England (AFP) - Blackburn Rovers gave their absent manager Sam Allardyce something to cheer with a 2-0 win away to his former club Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League on Sunday.
Allardyce, 55, is due to have an operation on his heart that will force him to miss at least three of Rovers' league fixtures, a run that started against Bolton - the team he played for and managed.
David Dunn gave Rovers a 32nd minute lead at the Reebok Stadium with a classy finish before a Sam Ricketts own-goal 17 minutes from time, following a mix-up with Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, sealed a win for the visitors that ended a run of 10 straight away losses in the league.
Defeat left Bolton firmly rooted in the relegation zone.
"We all wish him the best with his operation. Maybe he should stay away a little bit more," Dunn jokingly said of Allardyce.
It was Dunn's fifth goal in the league this season and the midfielder added: "I had a good couple of seasons a few years ago and hopefully I can get into double figures this season.
"We had a tough October. So many hard games in that month. We have 10 games now where we feel we can really push on and it is going to really make or break us."
Assistant manager Neil McDonald will continue to be in charge of Rovers for next week's matches against Fulham and Stoke.
Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen added of Allardyce's situation: "It was a major shock to us, especially when we knew it was the heart.
"He's a big man so he must need a big ticker to keep him going. But it will take a lot to knock over that old elephant."
Info
- Competition
- Premier League
- Date
- Game week
- 13
- Kick-off
- Half-time
- 0 - 1
- Full-time
- 0 - 2
- Venue
- Reebok Stadium (Bolton)
- Attendance
- 21777
Goals
0 - 1 |
32' D. Dunn
|
|
0 - 2 |
73' S. Ricketts (OG)
|
Lineups
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | J. Jääskeläinen | |
| 31 | A. O'Brien | |
| 3 | J. Samuel | |
| 5 | G. Cahill | |
| 18 | S. Ricketts | |
| 11 |
R. Gardner
|
|
| 7 | M. Taylor |
 42'
|
| 19 |
G. McCann
|
|
| 6 | F. Muamba |
44'
|
| 9 |
J. Elmander
|
|
| 14 | K. Davies | |
| Coach: G. Megson | ||
Substitutions
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 17 |
for J. Elmander 66' |
80'
|
| 27 |
for R. Gardner 69' |
|
| 16 |
for G. McCann 69' |
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. Robinson | |
| 39 | P. Chimbonda | |
| 5 |
G. Givet
|
|
| 4 | C. Samba | |
| 6 | R. Nelsen | |
| 7 | B. Emerton | |
| 8 |
D. Dunn
|
44'
|
| 15 | S. Nzonzi | |
| 18 | El-Hadji Diouf | |
| 9 | J. Roberts | |
| 26 |
F. di Santo
|
|
| Coach: S. Allardyce | ||
Substitutions
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
for G. Givet 35' |
|
| 10 |
for F. di Santo 71' |
|
| 11 |
for D. Dunn 84' |
Comments (0)