Preview | Blackburn Rovers (A)
The Game
Blackburn Rovers v Argyle. Ewood Park. Saturday, 15 February. 3pm. Sky Bet Championship.
The Opposition
Blackburn have enjoyed a strong season thus far, surprising many by sitting in the top six from the early stages, where they still reside now.
Rovers picked up an impressive 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday night, but struggled for league form beforehand, losing four of their last six. However, they still sit in fifth place in the table.
John Eustace left Ewood Park this week, to join Derby County on the other end of the ladder. Head of Youth Coaching David Lowe has taken temporary charge, and led the side in midweek.
The Gaffer
As mentioned above, David Lowe has taken temporary charge of Blackburn, after the departure of John Eustace to Derby.
Lowe had an accomplished career as a winger, scoring over 150 goals. Breaking through as an apprentice at Wigan Athletic, Lowe went on to rack up over 350 appearances across two spells, winning the Football League Trophy, and the Division Three title. He also made over 100 appearances for both Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
Blackburn's stand-in boss is the Head of Youth Coaching at the club, and coached just his second match as an interim in Rovers' 2-0 win against West Brom. The other one was 16 years ago for, ironically, Derby County, as they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.
The Squad
Goalkeeper Aynsley Pears has kept 12 clean sheets this season, the fourth most of any stopper in the division. The 26-year-old, born in Durham, spent the early stages of his career in the North East, coming through as a youngster at Middlesbrough, taking in loan spells at Darlington and Gateshead. Pears then joined Blackburn in October 2020.
Forward Makhtar Gueye (below) joined Rovers in the summer from Belgian side RWD Molenbeek. He has five goals and six assists for the Lancashire side, and scored twice in the win over West Brom on Wednesday night.
Todd Cantwell signed for Blackburn at the end of August, for an undisclosed fee from Rangers. The midfielder's best years - so far - came with Norwich City, with whom he progressed through the academy and won promotion to the Premier League, twice.
Earlier This Season
Argyle struck late to win 2-1 at Home Park in October. Michael Obafemi opened the scoring in the first half, and the Greens looked to be seeing out a 1-0 win, until Joe Rankin-Costello equalised in the 86th minute.
However, Argyle were not done, and Morgan Whittaker headed home in the 97th minute to secure the points.
Tickets
Tickets are now off sale for this match. Collections are available on the day from the Blackburn Away Ticket Office.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will wear their yellow third kit for this game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin at 10am, with the Argyle Breakfast show, hosted by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Charlie Price will host the pre-match show at 2.30pm, and will be joined by Ian Stonebridge, before handing over to the Stadium of Light for match coverage, with commentary from Nathan Albon and Guy Branston.
Click here for more information on how to buy match passes for the game.
