Blackburn Rovers suffered a 2-1 defeat to local rivals Preston North End in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. The loss leaves Tony Mowbray's side 16th in the table with five points from their opening five matches, a record of one win, two draws and two losses.
How did Blackburn Rovers lose the Lancashire derby?
Callum Lang's first-half double proved decisive for Preston at Deepdale, as reported by Sky Sports. Lang scored in the ninth and 28th minutes to put the hosts in control, despite Blackburn having early chances through Yuri Ribeiro and Todd Cantwell. A Stanley Mills own goal gave Rovers hope in the 51st minute, but they couldn't find an equaliser despite Jayden Fevrier hitting the crossbar.
Manager Tony Mowbray told Sky Sports his team fell below their own standards. "We came here believing we were going to win and we conceded two really soft goals, which is so unlike us," Mowbray said. The result means Blackburn have scored six goals but conceded seven this season, leaving them with a negative goal difference.
How did Blackburn Rovers loanee George Pratt perform?
Bradford City manager Graham Alexander praised the debut of on-loan Blackburn defender George Pratt, according to the Yorkshire Post. Pratt, a Bradford-born player, started in City's three-man defence after being told he was playing just two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
Alexander said he was "so pleased for George" and described his performance as "excellent" and "really composed." The manager added that Pratt had shown an eagerness to compete and was good on the ball. Alexander is rotating his defence due to a demanding schedule, which included handing a debut to the Blackburn Rovers loanee.
What is the current state of the Blackburn Rovers squad?
The defeat at Deepdale comes as Blackburn prepare to host Sheffield United on Tuesday, September 8th. Sheffield United are currently 15th in the Championship table, one place above Rovers. You can view the full upcoming schedule on our fixtures page.
Blackburn's squad continues to be affected by injuries. Augustus Kargbo, Balázs Tóth, Harry Pickering, Lewis Miller, Mathias Jørgensen and Moussa Baradji are all currently sidelined. The latest availability updates are always listed on our injuries section. The team sits six points behind early league leaders Swansea City. The current standings show the competitive nature of the division after five games.
Blackburn Rovers' next match is at home against Sheffield United on September 8th.
