sport
  • English Barclays Premier League
  • 7 May 2012, 8:00pm
  • Ewood Park
  • Attendance: 26,144
BlackburnBlackburnvWiganWigan
01
  • Alcaraz, 87

live commentary

FULL-TIME: ROVERS RELEGATED! Blackburn have the dreaded 'R' next to their name. They drop to the second-tier after yet another woeful display at Ewood Park. Antonio Alcaraz provided the final killer blow in the 86th minute which also spared Wigan of any final game drama this season. The Latics are now safe. Thanks for joining Orange's live coveage and for your comments this evening. Stay tuned for the full-match report.

90+2 mins: Blackburn have given up. Their fans look on in sheer disbelief as they wait for the dreaded final whistle.

Nathan, Dorset -"Derby finished with 11 points a few years ago, I think we booed them once all year? Have some class rovers fans. get behind them"

89 mins: Blackburn are just pumping the ball into the box like they have done all season, never mind just tonight. Three minutes of stoppage time will be added on before their fate is sealed.

86 MINS: BLACKBURN ARE GOING DOWN!f I was Steve Kean I would start running! The ball comes in from a Wigan corner on the right where ALCARAZ loses Petrovic with embarrassing ease at the far post to head past the helpless Robinson. That's the goal that should also secure Wigan Premier League football next season.

84 mins: Maloney misses a sitter! He somehow heads over from six yards under no pressure at all. That could have killed a poor Blackburn side off.

81 mins:Heroics from Robinson! He makes not one, not two, but three saves from McCarthy and Moses. Blackburn throw on striker Goodwillie for Orr in search of that vital winner.

79 mins: Al-Habsi makes a unnecessary save from a shot that was going wide from Hoilett. He soon makes amends though with a commanding punch away from the resulting corner and by grabbing Martin Olsson's low, inviting cross.

76 mins: It's hit and hope time for Blackburn. Robinson takes a free-kick near the halfway line and hoofs the ball deep into the box. Dann is the intended target but he is penalised for an obvious push on his marker.

74 mins: Both sides are struggling to dominate in these very tricky conditions. Roberto Martinez looks like a drowned rat on the sidelines as the rain continues to belt down.

John, Bridgwater -"what are Blackburn supporters like. Booing there own team."

71 mins: Moses does an Ashley Young v Aston Villa! He wriggles in and out of Blackburn players from the left side. As soon as he feels the slightest bit of contact he falls to the deck. The ref blows his whistle and shows Moses a deserved yellow.

68 mins: Maloney dusts himself down and cracks the free-kick disappointingly into the top of the wall. Any pressure from the resulting corner is immediately lifted as the ref blows for a Blackburn free-kick.

66 mins: Gamst Pedersen takes one for the team by bringing down the dangerous Maloney near the edge of the box. Great chance for Wigan this in a central position...

64 mins: Yakubu gets in between defender and looks poised to close in on goal until Alcaraz works back to put in a magnificent saving tackle

62 mins: Substitute Petrovic is yellow carded for a late tackle. The word on Givet by the way is that it was just a hamstring strain that's forced him off and nothing more serious.

60 mins: Blackburn penalty denied! Dann again loses his man at the far post and his header trickles across the face of goal. Boyce clearly strikes the calf of Hoillett but the ref remains watchful as a massive scramble for the ball ensues.

Cormac, Liverpool -"great game but blackburn are defo gona win"

57 mins: Everyone's forgotten how to finish! Di Santo heads across for Moses to volley but he spoons it into the drenched crowd.

55 mins: This is marginally better from Blackburn. Wigan fail to clear their lines from a Martin Olsson cross but Modeste fails to punish them with a tame shot at the scrambling Al-Habsi.

53 mins: Off the line! Dann peels away from his man at the far post to head across for Yakubu to strike but it smacks into one of the Wigan bodies in the goalmouth.

51 mins: McCarthy bursts through the Blackburn defence but the ball from Maloney asks far too much of his team-mate who struggles to provide a meaningful cross.

49 mins: Gamst Pedersen knocks a much better ball into the box which puts Al-Habsi in two minds whether to stay or go. He eventually decides to trap the ball on the slick surface to ease the pressure.

Darren, Kings Lynn - "Blackburn fan. Hard to defend the team when they're playing like this. Disgusted by my fellow 'supporters' though"

Darren, Kings Lynn - "Blackburn fan. Hard to defend the team when they're playing like this. Disgusted by my fellow 'supporters' though"

47 mins: Now the reports are that Givet is ok. I wonder what all that was about? Anyway on the pitch, Blackburn start more positively by winning a couple of corners but Gamst Pedersen continues to be a let down with two heavy touches.

2105: Something is not right at Ewood Park. The second half is late in getting started as Givet has apparently being rushed to the medical room. Petrovic is going to replaced the Frenchman for the remainder of this must-win match for Rovers.

HALF-TIME: Blackburn just look doomed. Mark Clattenburg's half-time whistle is met with widespread boos from the home fans. I thought they were meant to be getting behind their team tonight? The hosts have created very, very little so far and Wigan will be confident that they can secure their Premier League status in the second-half. Join me again in fifteen minutes.

45 mins:Yet again Wigan threaten to score and yet again Moses can't get on the end of the final ball. Two minutes of stoppage time added on.

43 mins:Both sides are winding down the clock for half-time it seems. Not an awful lot happening out there. Dunn is coming off though after picking up a knock so on comes Marcus Olsson.

40 mins:Another woeful set-piece from Gamst Pedersen. From the right wing, he belts the ball violently into the area and it's out for a goal-kick before anyone had time to blink

34 mins: Wigan are attacking with plenty of width and nice movement which Blackburn are struggling to cope with. Di Santo smacks an inch-perfect cross in for Moses who heads across goal rather than straight at it.

31 mins: Agony for Wigan! Alcaraz heads Maloney's free-kick from the right across the face of goal where Caldwell's touch takes the ball away from Moses, who was poised to tap in from six yards out.

27 mins: Modeste is brought down 35 yards out from goal and that isn't putting Gamest Pedersen off from lining up a shot. He puts the ball delicately in place, exhales and gets in position, then blasts it miles over. Well worth the wait.

24 mins: Moses does brilliantly well to keep the ball in play and skip past Dann from a tight angle. He then walks into the area befre prompting Robinson to make a strong save at his near post.

22 mins: Wigan spread the play from left to right with worrying ease. The ball is with Boyce, who fires an awkward cross into the area where Robinson palms up in the air and catches at the second attempt.

19 mins: Wigan allow Dunn to ponder forward and invite him to shoot from aroudn 30 yards. He obliges, and draws ironic cheers from the 3000 Latics fans in the upper tier as it balloons over.

17 mins: Hoilett tries to thread the ball through to the equally quiet Gamst Pedersen but Al-Habsi is on his toes to collect.

14 mins: Blackburn's defence is beginning to look stretched already as Di Santo fires over once more from a knock down in the area from Maloney.

11 mins: The ball drops nicely to Modeste 20 yards out but he can't keep his half-volley down. He showed some lovely 'tekkers' though by cutting right across the ball.

9 mins: Di Santo and Wigan look really dangerous here. The striker hits a poor shot straight at Robinson from close range and moments later he nearly heads the visitors in front from a corner.

7 mins: Your eyes aren't deceiving you here but a chicken has stopped play! It does what Blackburn desperately need to do tonight and finds the back of the net. Al-Habsi and Yakubu eventually capture it.

5 mins: Former Birmingham winger Beausejour cracks a dangerous ball across the Blackburn goal but Givet gets a vital sliding tackle in on Di Santo.

Nathan, Dorset - "Would rather be playing Blackburn next season (Derby fan) than wigan...so come on Wigan"

3 mins:As you can imagine it's a tentative start from both sides. Dunn does lose the ball deep in his own-half but thankfully for Blackburn, Moses thrashes a shot way over the bar.

0 mins: Wigan, their blue away shirts with lemon piping, get this huge game under way. "We want Venkys out!" and "Kean Out!" are the chants from the home fans. Nice and positive I see.

Andrew, Burnley -"GOOD LUCK WIGAN"

1956: The two teams emerge from the tunnel with Euope's 'Final Countdown' echoing around Ewood Park. I would have gone for something more motivational than that. Blackburn are potentially 90 minutes away from Championship football next season and as a Leeds fan, I can tell you it isn't pretty!

Welcome to Orange's live coverage from Ewood Park where Blackburn's mostly ghastly season could end in relegation tonight. Kick off is at 2000.

Anything other than victory would see Blackburn relegated after a 13-year stay in the top division. Wigan, who were the Premier League form side during April, know that a point would all but keep them up, with Bolton's goal difference vastly inferior.

In his biggest game of his managerial career, Steve Kean makes two changes in the hope they can deliver in this crucial Lancashire derby. Anthony Modeste and Martin Olsson replace Mauro Formica and Marcus Olsson

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez unsurprisingly names an unchanged side from the emphatic 4-0 victory against Newcastle.

So will Blackburn live to fight another day or can Wigan retain their Premier League status whilst simultaneously nudging Rovers into the second tier? Let Orange commentator Mark Scott know your thoughts via the text box above.

  • English Barclays Premier League
  • 7 May 2012, 8:00pm
  • Ewood Park
  • Attendance: 26,144
BlackburnBlackburnvWiganWigan
01
  • Alcaraz, 87

match report

Antolin Alcaraz headed a late winner as Wigan condemned Blackburn to relegation and ensured their own Premier League survival with a 1-0 win.

The Latics defender powered in from a corner with four minutes remaining as the visitors completed their remarkable survival act and hammered the final nail in Rovers' miserable season.

Blackburn supporters, perhaps already resigned to their fate, had turned the game into one long protest against manager Steve Kean and owners Venky's and several invaded the pitch at the final whistle.

A live chicken had even been released early in the game, presumably in protest against Indian poultry giants Venky's, whose takeover in 2010 is pinpointed by many as the start of the club's demise.

The hen, draped in Rovers colours, walked around Ali Al Habsi's goal area before it was caught by the Wigan goalkeeper and Blackburn striker Ayegbeni Yakubu and carried away by a steward.

By then there had already been several anti-Kean or Venky's chants from the supporters.

With banners as well, the Rovers fans were preoccupied with the state of their club with the action clearly of secondary importance.

On a worrying note, Gael Givet, who has a heart condition, left the action at half-time amid rumours of further problems but he was seen soon after taking a seat in the stand.

What action there was saw Wigan do the early attacking with Franco di Santo bursting clear only to shoot straight at Paul Robinson.

Di Santo then fired over with another effort after a good knockdown by Jean Beausejour.

For Blackburn, Junior Hoilett blasted over and then briefly excited with a mazy run before shooting tamely at Al Habsi.

David Dunn failed to trouble the keeper with an optimistic long-range effort before James McCarthy sparked a good Wigan counter-attack which ended when Robinson claimed Emmerson Boyce's cross.

Victor Moses almost punished Scott Dann as he pinched the ball on the touchline and skipped into the box but Robinson was equal to his effort.

A free-kick from Shaun Maloney caused more problems in the Blackburn box as Anthony Modeste failed to clear but Gary Caldwell shot wide.

Rovers briefly sparked into life as Yakubu broke from deep but he was crudely barged over by James McArthur, who was lucky not to be booked.

When Morten Gamst Pedersen smashed a free-kick from wide on the right straight through the box it seemed Rovers fans were ready to give up.

"That's why we're going down," they sang, in reply to a chant from Wigan fans suggesting similar.

Dunn, a lifelong Rovers fan, seemed dejected as he was forced off the field just before half-time, perhaps after suffering a further recurrence of his Achilles problem.

As the second half began, a Rovers fan ran across the pitch waving his season ticket in the air.

It was a curious protest because when he reached the dugout he showed it to Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, rather than anyone connected to his own club.

As the game proceeded, Rovers began to play some of their best football of the game in spite of their dreadful predicament.

Dann headed down a Pedersen corner and Yakubu acrobatically got a shot on target but it was blocked on the line and Wigan scrambled clear.

The hosts were then unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after Boyce appeared to kick Hoilett's standing leg as he shaped to shoot.

There were appeals from the players but not so many from the fans, who were soon back chanting about Venky's.

Modeste then shot at Al Habsi before Wigan had their own penalty appeal turned down when Moses went down in the area.

Martin Olsson weaved his way into the Wigan box but Al Habsi gathered his cross-shot well.

Wigan then rallied to produce a strong finish and snatch their priceless victory.

Robinson did brilliantly to keep out a fierce shot from Moses and McCarthy's follow-up attempt before Maloney headed a golden chance over.

The winner came from a corner as time ran out.

Alcaraz timed his leap superbly to meet Beausejour's deep cross and powered a header goalwards which Robinson, despite a valiant effort, could not palm out.

The Wigan players all ran to the Paraguay international while their large 3,500 following celebrated jubilantly.

Rovers fans, by contrast, continued their protests with some throwing off their shirts and others invading the pitch at the final whistle.

text the commentator

team line-up

1Paul Robinson
18Bradley Orr80
3Martin Olsson
5Gaël Givet45
16Scott Dann
12Morten Gamst Pedersen
35Jason Lowe
23Junior Hoilett
8David Dunn44
24Yakubu
9Anthony Modeste

substitutes

15Steven N'Zonzi
20Rubén Rochina
10Mauro Formica
14Radosav Petrovic45
25David Goodwillie80
21Marcus Olsson44
34Jake Kean

referee

Mark Clattenburg

team line-up

26Ali Al-Habsi
31Maynor Figueroa
5Gary Caldwell
17Emmerson Boyce
3Antolin Alcaraz
16James McArthur
22Jean Beausejour
10Shaun Maloney
11Victor Moses
4James McCarthy
9Franco Di Santo85

substitutes

7Albert Crusat
14Jordi Gómez
18Conor Sammon85
21Mohamed Diamé
12Michael Pollitt
8Ben Watson
20Hugo Rodallega

referee

Mark Clattenburg

match stats

possession %3663
shots on target26
shots off target610
corners56
tackles won159
offsides02