2014–15 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

The 2014–15 season was Blackburn Rovers 127th season as a professional football club and its third playing in the Football League Championship since the club's relegation during the 2011–12 Premier League season.^[1] Manager Gary Bowyer, in his second full season in charge, led the club to a 9th-place finish in The Championship and to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Blackburn Rovers

2014–15 season
Managing Director	Derek Shaw
Manager	Gary Bowyer
Stadium	Ewood Park
Championship	9th
Football League Cup	First round (knocked out by Scunthorpe United)
FA Cup	Sixth round (knocked out by Liverpool)
Top goalscorer	League: Jordan Rhodes (21) All: Rudy Gestede (22)
Highest home attendance	28,415 vs Liverpool (FA Cup, 8 April 2015)
Lowest home attendance	5,352 vs Scunthorpe United (League Cup, 12 August 2014)
Average home league attendance	14,907
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2013–14 2015–16 →

Summer activity

On 7 May, Tommy Spurr signed a new contract keeping him at Blackburn Rovers until the summer of 2016.^[2]

On 16 May, Leeds United confirmed that Luke Varney had been released. Varney had been on loan at Rovers from 8 February 2014 until 11 May 2014 with a view to a permanent move.^[3]

On 19 May, it was confirmed that Liam Feeney, who ended the 2013–14 campaign on loan at Blackburn Rovers following six appearances, would join Bolton Wanderers when his contract at fellow Championship club Millwall expired in the summer.^[4]

On 21 May, it was reported that a £300,000 investment had been made in order to replicate the high standards of Ewood Park's surface last season in preparation for the new campaign. The substantial outlay, sanctioned by the owners, also covered the cost of new machinery and an irrigation upgrade on the sprinkler system at the Academy.^[5]

On 24 May, Blackburn Rovers announced that Leon Best, D.J. Campbell, Dickson Etuhu, David Goodwillie, Alex Marrow, and Jordan Slew had been placed on the transfer list.^[6]

On 26 May, Blackburn Rovers announced one of the best-value season ticket deals in the country for the forthcoming campaign, along with the return of the Premier League Pledge. So, should Rovers achieve promotion in May 2015, then season ticket holders will be able to purchase a 2015–16 season ticket in the top flight for just 25% of the Championship price.^[7]

On 27 May, Gary Bowyer stated that he wanted to sign Manchester United defender Michael Keane on a permanent basis after a successful loan spell with Rovers.^[8]

On 2 June, following a successful loan spell and 22 appearances for Brentford in the 2013–14 season, Alan Judge returned to Griffin Park permanently, putting pen-to-paper on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.^[9]

On 20 June, David Goodwillie departed the club by mutual agreement.^[10]

On 23 June, Rovers made their first signing of the summer with the capture of Chris Brown from Doncaster.^[11]

On 30 June, midfielder John O'Sullivan announced he had signed a new contract with the club with a one-year extension. The 20-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Southport, took to Twitter to announce he has penned fresh terms.^[12]

On 1 July, following the expiration of his Leeds contract, Varney signed a one-year permanent deal with Blackburn.^[13]

On 1 July, Dickson Etuhu and DJ Campbell departed the club by mutual agreement.^[14][15]

Also on 1 July, it was announced that a number of young prospects had put pen to paper on new deals at the football club. Jack O'Connell, who had been on loan with Rochdale during a season in which they clinched promotion from League Two, signed a new two-year deal that sees him contacted to Rovers until the summer of 2016. Fellow youth graduates Bradley Bauress, Kellen Daly, and Darragh Lenihan all signed one-year extensions, whilst Academy forward Modou Cham signed a two-year professional contract. Finally Midfielder David Carson officially arrived at Rovers following a successful trial during the previous season. The 18-year-old joined on a one-year deal.^[16]

Again on 1 July, it was reported that eighteen-year-old striker Devarn Green had signed terms on a two-year professional deal.^[17]

On 10 July, it was confirmed that Josh Morris would link up with Fleetwood Town once more on a six-month loan deal until 3 January 2015.^[18]

On 10 July, Jordan Rhodes signed a two-year extension to his existing deal, committing his future to Rovers for the next five years until the summer of 2019.^[19]

On 11 July, David Dunn and Markus Olsson re-signed on new one-year deals after their contracts expired.^[20][21]

Also on 11 July, Alex Baptiste became the third player to sign on a busy day of transfer activity at Ewood Park, the defender joined on a season long loan deal from Bolton Wanderers.^[22]

On 14 July, Blackburn Rovers announced Zebra Claims Limited as their main sponsor.^[23]

On 15 July, Alex Marrow was released by Rovers by mutual consent.^[24]

On 4 August, Leon Best joined Derby County on a season-long loan deal.^[25]

Also on 4 August, Anthony O'Connor joined Plymouth Argyle on loan until the turn of the year.^[26]

On 5 August, Rubén Rochina returned to his homeland by completing a move to Granada CF.^[27]

On 22 August, The owners Venky's block a final £10 million+ bid from Hull City, putting an end to news of Rhodes' on-off move to Hull City.

On 31 August, deadline-day for summer transfers, Rovers signed defender Shane Duffy on a permanent deal from Everton (worth around £400,000 plus add-ons). Rovers also agreed to season-long loan deals for Middlesbrough goalkeeper Jason Steele and Fulham midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe.

New Year Activity

On 1 January, Jason Steele signed a permanent 3.5 year deal at Rovers after a successful loan from Middlesbrough.

On 1 January, Ryan Tunnicliffe recalled early by Fulham boss Kit Symons after a season-long loan deal was cut short.

On 6 January, Leon Best's season-long loan deal was cancelled by Derby County after failing to impress boss Steve McClaren.^[28]

On 8 January, Josh Morris re-joined Fleetwood Town on loan for the remainder of the season.

On 10 January, Marcus Olsson has contract extended until summer of 2016 on account of the defender's impressive start to the season.^[29]

On 17 January, Rudy Gestede was left out of squad for away game against Wigan Athletic, as talks with an unnamed premier league club were still ongoing with Rovers over the topscorer.^[30]

On 19 January, it was announced later that Crystal Palace were the club that had officially placed a bid for the striker Rudy Gestede, supposedly worth £3.5m.^[31]

On 20 January, Leon Best is signed on loan by Brighton for the remainder of the season.^[32]

On 30 January, Jake Kean joined Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the season.^[33]

Also on 30 January, Jay Spearing signed for Rovers on loan, the midfielder joined from Bolton Wanderers until the end of May.^[34]

On 2 February, Jordan Slew left the club after his contract was terminated, whilst Jack O'Connell and Anthony O'Connor joined Brentford and Plymouth respectively on deadline day.

Pre-season friendlies

Blackburn Rovers kicked off their pre-season campaign against newly promoted Conference side Telford United. Rovers then flew off to Portugal for a week of warm-weather training. On their return Rovers faced Accrington Stanley and Bury (of League Two) and Bradford City of League One. Pre-season ended with friendly at home against Premier League club Stoke City managed by ex-Rover Mark Hughes.^[35]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

AFC Telford United v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 12 July 2014 Friendly	AFC Telford United	0–4	Blackburn Rovers	Telford
15:00		Report	Best 56' Rochina 60', 75' O'Connell 88'	Stadium: New Bucks Head Attendance: 1,082

Freamunde v Blackburn Rovers

Fri 19 July 2014 Friendly	Freamunde	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	Freamunde
(BCD)			Rhodes (pen)) (pen)

Accrington Stanley v Blackburn Rovers

Wed 23 July 2014 Friendly	Accrington Stanley	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Accrington
19:45	Mingoia 20' Gray 54'	Report	Dunn 43' Cairney 61'	Stadium: Store First Stadium Attendance: 2,133

Bradford City v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 26 July 2014 Friendly	Bradford City	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Bradford
15:00		Report		Stadium: Coral Windows Stadium

Bury v Blackburn Rovers

Wed 30 July 2014 Friendly	Bury	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Bury
19:45	Nardiello 71'	Report	Williamson  45' Rhodes 85' (pen.)	Stadium: The JD Stadium Attendance: 1,711

Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City

Sun 3 August 2014 Friendly	Blackburn Rovers	1–1	Stoke City	Blackburn
15:00	Rhodes 37'	Report	Bojan 69'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 4,351

Sky Bet Championship

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
7	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	22	12	12	70	56	+14	78
8	Derby County	46	21	14	11	85	56	+29	77
9	Blackburn Rovers	46	17	16	13	66	59	+7	67
10	Birmingham City	46	16	15	15	54	64	−10	63
11	Cardiff City	46	16	14	16	57	61	−4	62

Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2015. Source: Sky Sports
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Fixtures

Blackburn Rovers 2014–15 Championship season opener with Cardiff City moved a day forward to Friday 8 August for live TV coverage.^[36]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

August

Blackburn Rovers v Cardiff City

Fri 8 August 2014 (2014-08-08) 1	Blackburn Rovers	1–1	Cardiff City	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Lowe  30' Cairney 40'	Report	Jones 18' Brayford  45+2' Hudson  80' Burgstaller  86'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 15,625 (including 1,193 visiting supporters) Referee: Andrew Madley

Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 16 August 2014 (2014-08-16) 2	Blackpool	1–2	Blackburn Rovers	Blackpool
15:00 GMT	Cywka 53' Oriol  68' Zoko  90+3'	Report	Olsson  18' Gestede 26', 47'  85' Marshall  90+2'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 12,130 (including 2,227 Rovers supporters) Referee: James Adcock

Norwich City v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 19 August 2014 (2014-08-19) 3	Norwich City	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	Norwich
19:45 GMT	Grabban 23', 90+4' Johnson 87' Bennett  87'	Report	Cairney 1' Lowe  19' Evans  26' Williamson  65'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 25,835 Referee: Graham Scott

Blackburn Rovers v Bournemouth

Sat 23 August 2014 (2014-08-23) 4	Blackburn Rovers	3–2	Bournemouth	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Rhodes 13' Hanley 21' Gestede 24' Evans  73' King  90+1' Robinson  90+4'	Report	Pitman 81' (pen.) Cook  40' 90'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,900 (including 319 visiting supporters) Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 30 August 2014 (2014-08-30) 5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Dicko 12' Sako 33' 68' La Parra  25' Saville  90+5'	Report	Rhodes 59' (pen.) Marshall  3' Cairney  33' Evans  43' Hanley  55' Varney  90+2'	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 21,260 (including 1,027 Rovers supporters) Referee: Keith Stroud

September

Blackburn Rovers v Wigan Athletic

Sat 13 September 2014 (2014-09-13) 6	Blackburn Rovers	3–1	Wigan Athletic	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Marshall 53', 82' Cairney  51' Rhodes 56'	Report	Andy Delort  29' James Perch 51' Martyn Waghorn  89'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 15,782 (including 2,079 visiting supporters) Referee: Roger East

Blackburn Rovers v Derby County

Wed 17 September 2014 (2014-09-17) 7	Blackburn Rovers	2–3	Derby County	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Marshall 1' Gestede 78'	Report	Ward 9', 58' Hughes 37'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,566 (including 677 visiting supporters) Referee: David Webb

Fulham v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 20 September 2014 (2014-09-20) 8	Fulham	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	McCormack  25' Hutchinson  45+2' Hoogland  62' Amorebieta  90+2'	Report	Evans  55' Rhodes 58' Taylor  88'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 16,456 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Blackburn Rovers v Watford

Sat 27 September 2014 (2014-09-27) 9	Blackburn Rovers	2–2	Watford	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Gestede 46' Cairney  73' Tunnicliffe 77'	Report	Vydra 30' 61' Tőzsér 41' Gomes  57' Angella  90+6'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,084 (including 675 visiting supporters) Referee: Darren Drysdale

Rotherham United v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 30 September 2014 (2014-09-30) 10	Rotherham United	2–0	Blackburn Rovers	Rotherham
19:45 GMT	Árnason 5' Frecklington  22' Becchio 32'	Report	Hanley  4' Duffy  40' Evans  59'	Stadium: New York Stadium Attendance: 9,525 (including 1,305 Rovers supporters) Referee: Simon Hooper

October

Blackburn Rovers v Huddersfield Town

Sat 4 October 2014 (2014-10-04) 11	Blackburn Rovers	0–0	Huddersfield Town	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Hanley  54' Williamson  71'	Report	Holt  11'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,662 (including 1,593 visiting supporters) Referee: Nigel Miller

Ipswich v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 18 October 2014 (2014-10-18) 12	Ipswich	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Ipswich
15:00 GMT	McGoldrick 65' Skuse  83'	Report	Kilgallon  50'  64' Marshall 90+3'	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 16,972 (including 379 Rovers supporters) Referee: James Adcock

Blackburn Rovers v Birmingham City

Tue 21 October 2014 (2014-10-21) 13	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Birmingham City	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Gestede  28' Marshall 51' Duffy  74'	Report	Eardley  52'  60'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 12,852 (including 510 visiting supporters) Referee: Robert Madley

Nottingham Forest v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 25 October 2014 (2014-10-25) 14	Nottingham Forest	1–3	Blackburn Rovers	Nottingham
15:00 GMT	Fryatt 37'	Report	Evans  35' Baptiste 66' Gestede 75' Rhodes 77' Williamson  90'	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 27,345 (including 1,043 Rovers supporters) Referee: Oliver Langford

November

Blackburn Rovers v Reading

Sat 1 November 2014 (2014-11-01) 15	Blackburn Rovers	3–1	Reading	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Gestede 16', 38' Marshall 55' Evans  71' Varney  90+6'	Report	Murray 44' Obita  52' Akpan  65' Cooper  76'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,237 (including 411 visiting supporters) Referee: Carl Boyeson

Millwall v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 4 November 2014 (2014-11-04) 16	Millwall	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Millwall
19:45 GMT	Wilkinson  61' Martin 72' Williams 88'	Report	Duffy 37' Gestede 65'	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 8,250 (including 486 Rovers supporters) Referee: Darren Deadman

Brighton & Hove Albion v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 8 November 2014 (2014-11-08) 17	Brighton & Hove Albion	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Brighton and Hove
15:00 GMT	Dunk  28' Gardner 42' Ince  94'	Report	Duffy  35' Evans  40' Gestede 51' Baptiste  73' Conway  92'	Stadium: Falmer Stadium Attendance: 24,840 (including 835 Rovers supporters) Referee: Mark Haywood

Blackburn Rovers v Leeds United

Sat 22 November 2014 (2014-11-22) 18	Blackburn Rovers	2–1	Leeds United	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Cairney  26' Duffy  44' Rhodes 71', 88' (pen.) Cairney  82'	Report	Adryan  28' Doukara 33' Warnock  96'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 21,432 (including 6,839 visiting supporters) Referee: Kevin Wright

Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 29 November 2014 (2014-11-29) 19	Middlesbrough	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT	Tomlin  56' Bamford 83'	Report	Evans  55' Gestede 90+5'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 18,152 (including 794 Rovers supporters) Referee: Mark Clattenburg

December

Blackburn Rovers v Sheffield Wednesday

Sat 6 December 2014 (2014-12-06) 20	Blackburn Rovers	1–2	Sheffield Wednesday	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Baptiste 16'	Report	Lee 3' Dielna 90+3' Dielna  90+4'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,920 (including 1,772 visiting supporters) Referee: Steve Martin

Brentford v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 14 December 2014 (2014-12-14) 21	Brentford	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	Baptiste  39' Gestede 45' Williamson  66'	Report	Douglas 16' Gray 55' Jota 61' Diagouraga  78'	Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 11,848 (including 1,582 Rovers supporters) Referee: Andy Woolmer

Blackburn Rovers v Charlton Athletic

Sat 20 December 2014 (2014-12-20) 22	Blackburn Rovers	2–0	Charlton Athletic	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Rhodes 6', 19'	Report	Buyens  69'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,231 (including 318 visiting supporters) Referee: David Webb

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers

Fri 26 December 2014 (2014-12-26) 23	Bolton Wanderers	2–1	Blackburn Rovers	Bolton
15:00 GMT	Devite  55' Heskey 59' Pratley 62'	Report	King 41' Duffy  56' Evans  85'	Stadium: Macron Stadium Attendance: 23,203 (including 4,362 Rovers supporters) Referee: Craig Pawson

Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough

Sun 28 December 2014 (2014-12-28) 24	Blackburn Rovers	0–0	Middlesbrough	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Gestede  51' Tunnicliffe  94'	Report	Gibson  21' Whitehead  45' Ayala  90'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 22,304 (including 6,988 visiting supporters) Referee: Carl Boyeson

January

Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton

Sun 11 January 2015 (2015-01-11) 25	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Wolverhampton	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Marshall  67' Hanley  93'	Report	McDonald  42' Edwards 48'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 15,335 (including 1,498 visiting supporters) Referee: Mark Haywood

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 17 January 2015 (2015-01-17) 26	Wigan Athletic	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Wigan
15:00 GMT	Evans 15' Hanley  45+3' Marshall  70' Evans  76'	Report	McClean  45+3' Waghorn  59' McClean 43' Perch  68'	Stadium: DW Attendance: 14,652 (including 3,487 Rovers supporters) Referee: Mike Jones

Derby County v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 27 January 2015 (2015-01-27) 27	Derby County	2–0	Blackburn Rovers	Derby
19:45 GMT	Bent 68', 90+3' Ward  82' Hughes  90'	Report	Olsson  50' Conway  82'	Stadium: Pride Park Attendance: 26,373 Referee: Andy Davies

Blackburn Rovers v Fulham

Sat 31 January 2015 (2015-01-31) 28	Blackburn Rovers	2–1	Fulham	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Marshall 12' Rhodes 61'	Report	McCormack 66'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,603 Referee: Dean Whitestone

February

Watford v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 7 February 2015 (2015-02-07) 29	Watford	1–0	Blackburn Rovers	Watford
15:00 GMT	Paredes  20' Cathcart  28' Munari	Report	Spearing  19' Kilgallon  55'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 15,011 (including 720 Rovers supporters) Referee: Andy Madley

Blackburn Rovers v Rotherham

Tue 11 February 2015 (2015-02-11) 30	Blackburn Rovers	2–1	Rotherham	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Conway 41' Spearing  53' Cairney  55' Rhodes 86'	Report	Derbyshire 72'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,403 (including 924 visiting supporters) Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Cardiff City v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 17 February 2015 (2015-02-17) 31	Cardiff City	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Cardiff
19:45 GMT	Morrison 84'	Report	Gestede 90'	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 19,057 Referee: Brendan Malone

Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool

Sat 21 February 2015 (2015-02-21) 32	Blackburn Rovers	1–1	Blackpool	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Rhodes 14'	Report	Maher  16' Hall 42'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,906 (including 944 visiting supporters) Referee: Mick Russell

Blackburn Rovers v Norwich City

Tue 24 February 2015 (2015-02-24) 33	Blackburn Rovers	1–2	Norwich City	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Baptiste 22' Spearing  69'	Report	Jerome 65' Johnson 84'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,530 (including 1060 visiting supporters) Referee: Scott Duncan

Bournemouth v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 28 February 2015 (2015-02-28) 34	Bournemouth	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Bournemouth
15:00 GMT	Arter  48'	Report		Stadium: Goldsands Stadium Attendance: 10,196 (including 756 Rovers supporters) Referee: Simon Hooper

March

Sheffield Wednesday v Blackburn Rovers

Wed 4 March 2015 (2015-03-04) 35	Sheffield Wednesday	1–2	Blackburn Rovers	Sheffield
19:45	Maguire 61'	Report	Rhodes 17' Henley 26' Henley  49' Brown  57' Spurr  60'	Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 19,953 (including 510 Rovers supporters) Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers

Wed 11 March 2015 (2015-03-11) 36	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Henry  85' Rhodes 90'	Report	Danns  52' Heskey  66' Mills  81'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 15,362 (including 2362 visiting supporters) Referee: Paul Tierney

Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 14 March 2015 (2015-03-14) 37	Charlton Athletic	1–3	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	Buyens 57' Fox  84'	Report	Rhodes 15' (78) Conway 18' Steele  56' Brown  77'	Stadium: The Valley (London) Attendance: 14,888 (including 703 Rovers supporters) Referee: Charles Breakspear

Blackburn Rovers v Brentford

Tue 17 March 2015 (2015-03-17) 38	Blackburn Rovers	2–3	Brentford	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Gestede 5' Taylor 45'	Report	Judge  35' Long 44' Jota 52' Dean  47' Gray 84'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,382 Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Blackburn Rovers v Brighton

Sat 21 March 2015 (2015-03-21) 39	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Brighton	Blackburn
15:00 GMT		Report	Kilgallon 26' (og) Ledesma  36'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,605 Referee: Stuart Attwell

April

Leeds United v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 5 April 2015 (2015-04-05) 40	Leeds United	0–3	Blackburn Rovers	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Austin  39' Antenucci  68' Murphy  84' Taylor  88'	Report	Henley  55' Cairney 62' Rhodes 69' Taylor  77' Spearing 80'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 25,293 Referee: Gary Sutton

Reading v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 11 April 2015 (2015-04-11) 41	Reading	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Reading
15:00 GMT	Robson-Kanu  90'	Report	Williamson  81'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 17,564 Referee: Michael Bull

Birmingham v Blackburn Rovers

Tue 14 April 2015 (2015-04-14) 42	Birmingham	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Birmingham
19:45 GMT	Grounds 64' Gray 78'	Report	Kilgallon 8' Rhodes 68' Rhodes  88'	Stadium: St. Andrew's Attendance: 15,066 Referee: James Linington

Blackburn Rovers v Nottingham Forest

Sat 18 April 2015 (2015-04-18) 43	Blackburn Rovers	3–3	Nottingham Forest	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Gestede 3', 35', 82' Williamson  90'	Report	Antonio 7', 88' Lansbury 45' Vaughan  62'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,876 Referee: Andy Haines

Blackburn Rovers v Millwall

Tue 21 April 2015 (2015-04-21) 44	Blackburn Rovers	2–0	Millwall	Blackburn
19:45 GMT	Gestede 78' Rhodes 90'	Report	Cowan-Hall  73'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 12,884 Referee: Nigel Miller

Huddersfield Town v Blackburn Rovers

25 April 2015 45	Huddersfield Town	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Huddersfield
15:00 GMT	Butterfield 39' Hudson  79' Lolley 84'	Report	Gestede 26' Rhodes 31' Lenihan  53'	Stadium: John Smith's Stadium Attendance: 17,056 Referee: Brendan Malone

May

Blackburn Rovers v Ipswich Town

2 May 2015 46	Blackburn Rovers	3–2	Ipswich Town	Blackburn
12:15 GMT	Rhodes 36' Conway 42' Gestede 58'	Report	Murphy 2', 82' Skuse  39' Tabb  43'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 16,469 Referee: Graham Scott

Results

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	D	W	L	W	L	W	L	W	D	L	D	D	W	W	W	D	D	W	D	L	L	W	L	D	L	D	L	W	L	W	D	D	L	D	W	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	D	W	D	W
Position	12	5	14	10	14	8	13	10	10	11	12	13	11	8	7	8	7	6	6	7	8	8	8	9	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	10	10	11	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9

Updated to match(es) played on 25 April 2015. Source: BBC Sport
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Rovers entered the FA Cup in the Third Round Proper which commenced on Saturday 3 January 2015.

Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Sat 3 January 2015 Third round	Charlton Athletic	1–2	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	Buyens  45+6' Gudmundsson 55' Gudmundsson  70' Buyens  72'	Report	Taylor 4', 59' Duffy  45' Kilgallon  68' Cairney  69'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 8,727 (1,038 away) Referee: Keith Stroud

Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City

Sat 24 January 2015 Fourth round	Blackburn Rovers	3–1	Swansea City	Blackburn
12:45 GMT	Taylor 23' Williamson  29' Gestede 78' Conway 89'	Report	Bartley  7' Sigurdsson 21' Dyer  85' Sigurdsson  90+2'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 5,928 (590 away) Referee: Craig Pawson

Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City

Sat 14 February 2015 Fifth round	Blackburn Rovers	4–1	Stoke City	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	King 36', 50', 55' Gestede 45+7' (pen.) Williamson  18' Evans  60' Cairney  81'	Report	Crouch 10' Diouf  22' Wollscheid  41' Cameron  45+6' Bardsley  84' Whelan  86'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,934 (4,737 away) Referee: Anthony Taylor

Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers

Sun 8 March 2015 Sixth round	Liverpool	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Liverpool
16:00 GMT	Emre Can  45'	Report	Cairney  88'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,820 (5,800 away) Referee: Andre Marriner

Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool

Wed 8 April 2015 Sixth round replay	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Liverpool	Blackburn
19:45 BST	Evans  68'	Report	Coutinho 70' Sterling  90+3'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 28,415 (7,263 away) Referee: Kevin Friend

Football League Cup

The first round draw of the 2014-15 Football League Cup took place on Tuesday 17 June at 10:00am.^[37]

Rovers hosted Scunthorpe United in the first round.^[38]

  Win   Draw   Loss

Blackburn Rovers v Scunthorpe United

Tue 12 August 2014 R1	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Scunthorpe United	Blackburn
19:45	King  75' Varney  78' Williamson  88'	Summary	Llera  22' Bishop 34'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 5,352 (including 551 visiting supporters) Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge

Club Staff

Technical Staff Position Staff Manager Gary Bowyer Assistant Manager Terry McPhillips First Team Coaches Craig Short Tony Grant Under-21 Head Coach Damien Johnson Under-21 Assistant Coach John Filan Goalkeeping Coach John Keeley Last updated: June 2013 Source: [39]

Medical Staff Position Staff Doctor Strength and conditioning coach Chris Neville Youth team Doctor Chris Dalton Physiotherapist Dave Fevre

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

As of 13 May 2015^[40]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ENG	Paul Robinson	7	0	7+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
2	DF	WAL	Adam Henley	24	1	15+3	1	5+0	0	1+0	0
3	DF	ENG	Tommy Spurr	13	0	10+2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
4	DF	ENG	Matthew Kilgallon	27	1	22+0	1	5+0	0	0+0	0
5	DF	SCO	Grant Hanley (captain)	31	1	31+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	ENG	Jason Lowe	14	0	11+1	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
7	FW	NOR	Joshua King	19	4	5+11	1	2+0	3	1+0	0
8	MF	ENG	David Dunn	12	0	1+8	0	1+1	0	1+0	0
9	FW	ENG	Chris Brown	21	0	11+9	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
10	MF	SCO	Tom Cairney	45	3	32+7	3	5+0	0	0+1	0
11	FW	SCO	Jordan Rhodes	47	21	39+6	21	1+1	0	0+0	0
12	MF	ENG	Ben Marshall	47	6	37+5	6	4+0	0	1+0	0
13	GK	ENG	Simon Eastwood	11	0	6+0	0	5+0	0	0+0	0
14	MF	SWE	Marcus Olsson	45	0	41+0	0	4+0	0	0+0	0
15	DF	ENG	Alex Baptiste (on loan From Bolton Wanderers)	34	3	29+3	3	2+0	0	0+0	0
17	MF	ENG	Lee Williamson	34	0	22+6	0	5+0	0	1+0	0
18	MF	IRL	John O'Sullivan	2	0	1+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
19	MF	ENG	Chris Taylor	21	4	7+9	1	3+1	3	1+0	0
20	DF	CMR	Yann Songo'o	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
21	FW	ENG	Paul Taylor (on loan From Ipswich Town)	5	0	2+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
22	DF	IRL	Shane Duffy	22	1	18+1	1	3+0	0	0+0	0
24	DF	ENG	Ryan Nyambe	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	MF	ENG	Jay Spearing (on loan From Bolton Wanderers)	15	1	12+3	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
26	MF	IRL	Darragh Lenihan	3	0	2+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
27	FW	ENG	Devarn Green	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	MF	NIR	Corry Evans	41	1	37+1	1	2+1	0	0+0	0
30	GK	ENG	Jason Steele	31	0	31+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
31	MF	ENG	Connor Mahoney	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
32	MF	SCO	Craig Conway	44	4	29+9	3	4+1	1	0+1	0
33	GK	ESP	David Raya	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
39	FW	BEN	Rudy Gestede	44	22	31+8	20	2+2	2	0+1	0
Players out on loan:
16	FW	ENG	Luke Varney (on loan to Ipswich Town)	14	0	0+11	0	0+2	0	1+0	0
34	GK	ENG	Jake Kean (on loan to Oldham Athletic)	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
—	DF	ENG	Josh Morris (on loan to Fleetwood Town)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
—	FW	IRL	Leon Best (on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
Players that played for Blackburn Rovers this season that have left the club:
21	DF	ENG	Jack O'Connell	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
23	DF	CAN	Doneil Henry (on loan From West Ham United)	3	0	3+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	MF	ENG	Ryan Tunnicliffe (on loan From Fulham)	17	1	10+7	1	0+0	0	0+0	0

Goalscorers As of 13 May 2015[40] Rank No. Pos. Name League FA Cup League Cup Total 1 39 FW Rudy Gestede 20 2 0 22 2 11 FW Jordan Rhodes 21 0 0 21 3 12 MF Ben Marshall 6 0 0 6 4 7 FW Josh King 1 3 0 4 = 19 MF Chris Taylor 1 3 0 4 = 32 MF Craig Conway 3 1 0 4 7 15 DF Alex Baptiste 3 0 0 3 = 10 MF Tom Cairney 3 0 0 3 9 5 DF Grant Hanley 1 0 0 1 = 25 MF Ryan Tunnicliffe 1 0 0 1 = 22 DF Shane Duffy 1 0 0 1 = 29 MF Corry Evans 1 0 0 1 = 2 DF Adam Henley 1 0 0 1 = 25 MF Jay Spearing 1 0 0 1 = 4 DF Matthew Kilgallon 1 0 0 1 Total 65 9 0 74

Assists As of 13 May 2015[40] Rank No. Pos. Name League FA Cup League Cup Total 1 32 MF Craig Conway 10 1 0 11 2 10 MF Tom Cairney 6 2 0 8 3 12 MF Ben Marshall 7 0 0 7 4 39 FW Rudy Gestede 4 2 0 6 5 14 DF Marcus Olsson 4 1 0 5 6 11 FW Jordan Rhodes 4 0 0 4 = 9 FW Chris Brown 3 1 0 4 8 22 DF Shane Duffy 1 1 0 2 9 17 MF Lee Williamson 1 0 0 1 = 19 MF Chris Taylor 1 0 0 1 = 2 DF Adam Henley 1 0 0 1 = 23 DF Doneil Henry 1 0 0 1 — — — No assist 22 1 0 17 Total 65 9 0 74

Disciplinary record

As of 13 May 2015^[40]

No.	Pos.	Name	Championship			FA Cup		League Cup		Total
1	GK	Paul Robinson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
6	MF	Jason Lowe	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
7	MF	Josh King	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0
12	MF	Ben Marshall	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
14	MF	Marcus Olsson	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
16	FW	Luke Varney	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	0
17	MF	Lee Williamson	6	0	0	2	0	1	0	9	0	0
19	MF	Chris Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
29	MF	Corry Evans	11	0	0	2	0	0	0	13	0	0
39	FW	Rudy Gestede	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
10	MF	Tom Cairney	5	1	0	3	0	0	0	8	1	0
5	DF	Grant Hanley	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0
22	DF	Shane Duffy	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0	0
4	DF	Matthew Kilgallon	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	1	0
25	MF	Ryan Tunnicliffe	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
15	DF	Alex Baptiste	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
32	MF	Craig Conway	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
25	MF	Jay Spearing	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
3	DF	Tommy Spurr	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
2	DF	Adam Henley	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
9	FW	Chris Brown	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
23	DF	Doneil Henry	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
30	GK	Jason Steele	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
23	DF	Paul Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
11	FW	Jordan Rhodes	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
26	MF	Darragh Lenihan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Total			71	2	0	9	0	3	0	83	2	0

Suspensions served

Date	Missed	Player	Reason	Opponent Missed
30 Sep	1	Corry Evans	5	Huddersfield Town
21 Oct	1	Matthew Kilgallon		Birmingham City
22 Nov	1	Tom Cairney		Middlesbrough
26 Dec	2	Corry Evans	10	Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic(FA Cup)

Transfers

Summer

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee	Source
23 June 2014	FW	Chris Brown	Doncaster Rovers	Free Transfer	[11]
1 July 2014	FW	Luke Varney	Leeds United	Free Transfer	[13]
1 September 2014	DF	Shane Duffy	Everton	Undisclosed (est ~£400,000 + add-ons)[41]	[42]

• Total spent ~ Undisclosed (~ £400,000+)

Youth

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee	Source
1 July 2014	MF	David Carson	Ashington	Undisclosed Fee	[16]
27 August 2014	GK	Ryan Crump	Liverpool	Free	[43]
16 October 2014	DF	Sam Jones	Unattached	Free	[44]
19 December 2014	DF	Connor Thomson	Carlisle United	Free	[45]

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee	Source
16 May 2014	DF	Will Beesley	Southport	Released	[46]
16 May 2014	MF	Robbie Cotton	Sheffield	Released	[46]
16 May 2014	DF	Ryan Edwards	Morecambe	Released	[46][47]
16 May 2014	MF	Hugo Fernandez	Free agent	Released	[46]
16 May 2014	MF	Timothy Payne	Auckland City	Released	[46]
16 May 2014	FW	Deniz Pero	Bucaspor	Released	[46]
16 May 2014	GK	Matthew Urwin	Bradford City	Released	[46][48]
2 June 2014	MF	Alan Judge	Brentford	£350,000[49]	[9]
20 June 2014	FW	David Goodwillie	Aberdeen	Mutual Consent	[10][50]
1 July 2014	MF	Dickson Etuhu	AIK	Mutual Consent	[14][51]
1 July 2014	FW	DJ Campbell	Maidenhead United	Mutual Consent	[15][52]
15 July 2014	MF	Alex Marrow	Carlisle United	Mutual Consent	[53][54]
5 August 2014	FW	Rubén Rochina	Granada	Undisclosed	[27]

• Total sold £350,000 + undisclosed fees

Loan In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Loan length	Source
11 July 2014	DF	Alex Baptiste	Bolton Wanderers	Season-Long Loan	[22]
1 September 2014	GK	Jason Steele	Middlesbrough	Season-Long Loan	[55]
1 September 2014	MF	Ryan Tunnicliffe	Fulham	Season-Long Loan (recalled)	[56][57]

Loan Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Loan length	Source
10 July 2014	MF	Josh Morris	Fleetwood Town	6 Month Loan (3 January 2015) (Extended)	[18][58]
4 August 2014	FW	Leon Best	Derby County	Season-Long Loan (Sent Back)	[25][59]
4 August 2014	DF	Anthony O'Connor	Plymouth Argyle	5 Month Loan (10 January 2015)	[26]
29 August 2014	FW	Jordan Slew	Port Vale	4 Month Loan (3 January 2015)	[60]
1 September 2014	DF	Jack O'Connell	Rochdale	4 Month Loan (6 January 2015)	[61]
15 September 2014	GK	Jake Kean	Yeovil Town	1 Month Loan (12 October 2014)	[62]
19 September 2014	GK	David Raya	Southport	1 Month Loan (18 October 2014) (Extended)	[63][64]
19 September 2014	MF	John O'Sullivan	Accrington Stanley	1 Month Loan (18 October 2014) (Extended)	[64][65]
21 October 2014	MF	Darragh Lenihan	Burton Albion	1 Month Loan (22 November 2014) (Extended)	[66][67][68][69]

Winter

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee	Source
1 January 2015	GK	Jason Steele	Middlesbrough	Undisclosed (est £100,000[70])	[71]

• Total spent ~ Undisclosed (~ £100,000+)

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee	Source
2 February 2015	FW	Jordan Slew	Cambridge United	Mutual Consent	[72][73]
2 February 2015	DF	Jack O'Connell	Brentford	Undisclosed (reportedly £300,000[74])	[75]
2 February 2015	DF	Anthony O'Connor	Plymouth Argyle	Undisclosed	[76]
2 March 2015	DF	Bradley Orr	Unattached	Mutual Consent	[77]

• Total sold ~ Undisclosed (~ £300,000+)

Loan In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Loan length	Source
30 January 2015	MF	Jay Spearing	Bolton Wanderers	End Of Season	[78]
4 March 2015	DF	Doneil Henry	West Ham United	One Month Loan (6 April 2015)	[79]
26 March 2015	FW	Paul Taylor	Ipswich Town	End Of Season	[80]

Loan Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Loan length	Source
9 January 2015	MF	Josh Morris	Fleetwood Town	End Of Season	[81]
20 January 2015	FW	Leon Best	Brighton & Hove Albion	End Of Season	[82]
30 January 2015	GK	Jake Kean	Oldham Athletic	End Of Season	[83]
2 February 2015	FW	Jordan Preston	Ayr United	End Of Season	[84]
19 February 2015	MF	John O'Sullivan	Barnsley	1 Month Loan (21 March 2015)	[85]
20 February 2015	FW	Luke Varney	Ipswich Town	3 Month Loan (Extended)	[86][87]