Reid swaps back pain for headache

THIRTY-seven minutes into his first Blackburn start for 16 months, Steven Reid could have been forgiven for reflecting nostalgically to the monotony of the endless, lonely weeks of rehabilitation from serious knee and back injuries.

It was to Reid’s credit (along with central midfield partner Robbie Savage) that Mark Hughes’ side regained some stability when the back-line finally remembered how to defend against Wigan on Saturday, and a tenacious second-half display confirmed Reid has put his fitness problems behind him.

But while knee and back remained intact, the player’s sanity will have taken a severe battering after one of the most intense 90 minutes you will see anywhere this season — and it is highly likely that any aches and pains about Reid’s body on Sunday morning were overwhelmed by a steady throbbing to his head.