John Eustace thought Blackburn Rovers deserved a draw after their winning streak came to an end in heartbreaking circumstances.
Millwall’s Mihailo Ivanovic headed in the winner in the 96th minute, ending Rovers’ goalless streak. It had been over nine hours since Aynsley Pears’ net was hacked.
It was a terrible way to conclude the game for Rovers, who defended valiantly with ten men in the closing 15 minutes. Harry Pickering was injured, and LEwis Travis arrived after all of the substitution places had been used.
Despite this, Eustace believed his team did an excellent job defending their box, but the pressure eventually caught up with them.
“I thought it was a very difficult afternoon for both teams, the conditions were tough for both sides,” Eustace told the BBC.
“I think the manner we defended was really pleasing; it’s something we do week after week. It was quite disheartening to surrender in the final minute.
“We attempted to play terrific football, but the conditions handicapped us. We had two or three pretty good chances in the second half that we did not take. “It was a huge blow to lose Travis with ten or fifteen minutes to go.
But I was still confident that we would not concede. There was a lot of pressure, and they put in big players, which is what happens when you come here.
“I think we defended extremely well overall, but conceding in the last minute is very frustrating. Overall, I believed a draw was a fair result, therefore defeat is difficult to accept.”
Rovers will be anxious to prevent any long-term injuries, but they will be concerned about the severity of the two setbacks. Travis wanted to stay and help the team, but Eustace said he couldn’t risk injuring his hamstring further.
Pickering collapsed with nobody nearby, gripping his knee. He limped off the pitch with the help of two physiotherapists. “Trav looks like he has hurt his hamstring so we’ll have to look at that, he’ll get a scan tomorrow,” he told us.
“Trav suggested he could just stand in the centre, but he has a hamstring problem, and we don’t want to aggravate it. He has been brilliant for us since his return, and without him for 10/15 minutes, you could see the difference without him in the team. It was a blow to lose him.
“Picks took a blow to his knee so again that will need checking tomorrow.”
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