Keeper’s blood saves Rovers tears

BLACKBURN’S bloodied goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes the dramatic late point he helped rescue at Wigan on Saturday can provide the platform for his side’s sustained march up the Barclays Premier League table.

Robinson required stitches in his forehead after his intervention in the eighth minute of injury-time, when he entered the Wigan box for a last-gasp corner and won the penalty from which Ayegbeni Yakubu claimed a 3-3 draw.

The point was barely enough for either of the Premier League’s two bottom sides, but Robinson says the manner in which Rovers achieved it will stand them in good stead for upcoming games against Stoke, Swansea and Sunderland.

Robinson said: “We have got some winnable games coming up but if we show the attitude we played with in the second half today I’m sure we are going to pick up points.

“Wigan deserved to go in ahead at half time and we went down to 10 men very quickly but I think we showed the determination and spirit with 10 men that we need to start showing with 11.

“I was disappointed to let the third goal in and as a goalkeeper you don’t usually get the chance to make amends. To go down the other end and get a penalty, it was a massive achievement for us.”

A frantic, action-packed relegation clash had burst into life after just 68 seconds when Steven Nzonzi’s header found Yakubu free in the box to loft the opener over the stranded Ali Al Habsi.

Far from settling the visitors, Yakubu’s opener sparked a sustained period of pressure from the hosts, who were level within seven minutes when Jordi Gomez rattled home a left-foot shot from the edge of the box.

Roberto Martinez’s men, desperate to reverse a run of eight straight defeats, went ahead on the half-hour when captain Gary Caldwell wriggled free of his marker to head home a David Jones corner.

After David Dunn was dismissed in the 48th minute for a second bookable offence, Rovers regrouped and equalised on the hour in highly controversial fashion when Junior Hoilett bundled home a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner.

Television replays appeared to show that although Yakubu placed the ball for Pedersen, he did not touch it, leaving the Norwegian to effectively take the corner to himself and dribble towards the box before crossing for Hoilett.

Referee Andre Marriner’s decision to let the goal stand enraged Martinez, who blamed it on his side’s “small voice”.

Martinez added: “If that had happened at Anfield they would have been talking about it for three weeks.”

After Yakubu rounded Al Habsi but was denied an almost certain goal by a fine Steve Gohouri challenge, Wigan still thought they had claimed the points when substitute Albert Crusat toe-poked an 88th-minute shot through Robinson’s arms.

But a cracking game still had one final dramatic twist, with Rovers winning a corner in injury-time and Robinson trawling forward when, in his attempt to connect with the ball, he was kicked in the head by Jones.

Yakubu’s spot-kick rescued a priceless point for Rovers.