Football: Gallacher's oasis for Rovers

If the announcement of Roy Hodgson as their latest manager in waiting was cause for celebration by Blackburn it was not a party they wanted to hold in public, at least not yesterday. Kevin Gallacher's spectacular late goal sent the Ewood Park crowd home jubilant but Sunderland were unlucky not to have secured a point.

Blackburn never looked capable of taking a grip on the contest, finding it difficult to deliver accurate passes when it mattered, although a swirling wind was not ideal for fluent football.

But, under Tony Parkes' stand-in stewardship, they have forged a reputation as a side no one beats easily, losing only four times in 18 matches since Ray Harford left in October. In fact, apart from the identity of the man for whom Parkes is keeping the seat warm, nothing has changed about his third stint in temporary charge.

The pounds 2.5m Danish striker Per Pederson made his full debut, a week after his appearance as a substitute at Liverpool. Generally it was a quiet entrance by the Dane, who missed one reasonable opportunity just before half time when Paul Warhurst headed a cross to his feet. But then it was a Blackburn performance that lacked cohesion, a far cry from the slick football they produced in early January, when it seemed the fear of relegation that had led to Harford's demise would soon be banished.

Neither side can dismiss such worries yet, in particular Peter Reid's Sunderland whose shortcomings in attack heavily dictated their manager's tactical approach yesterday when his ambitions appeared limited to keeping a clean sheet.

With captain Kevin Ball setting a robust example with some fierce tackling in midfield and goalkeeper Lionel Perez in splendid form behind the central defensive barrier thrown up by Andy Melville and Richard Ord, it seemed that Blackburn were destined to see such decent moves as they were able to produce come to nothing.

However, they kept battering away and when Lars Bohinen floated in a corner from the left with six minutes remaining, Warhurst's challenge unsettled Perez. When the ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty area it fell nicely for Gallacher, who found the top corner with a drive that flashed with unstoppable force past the goalkeeper's left shoulder.