The top end of this year’s Championship is shaping up to be one of the closest promotion fights in recent memory. Equally, though the bottom is one of the most intriguing. Blackburn Rovers are perhaps one of the surprise teams that are one of nine teams separated by just seven points in the relegation battle.
Recent form has seen the team slip into the survival fight, but at the same time pick up points to keep their head above the drop zone. It is wins and three points that are coming hard to come by though, and draws will only do so much in the intense strain of avoiding relegation.
As reported by the Rovers website after his interview on their TV channel, Harry Pickering is adamant that the team is sticking together to pick up some wins to ease themselves away from those around them.
“The gaffer and the staff have come in, they’ve been really enthusiastic and have been big on the team showing that spirit, togetherness and fight. I think we’re trying to take that into games.
“With the situation at the moment, the main things that we’ll need is the spirit, togetherness and the fight.”
25-year-old Pickering has recently returned from a hamstring injury and is a vital part of the set-up. Looking ahead to the weekend’s game at Middlesbrough, he remains confident about the team around him being able to stay up.
“We can’t let heads drop. We have to accept where we are and have got to keep giving 100 per cent. We’ve got to focus on us and control what we can. Every game is massive and it’s about focusing to get a good result.
“It would be massive to get some wins because we haven’t had many of late. The group we have are really good lads and we want to fight for each other. Morale and team spirit is huge and I think we’ve got that in our dressing room. I hope we can keep building on those attributes and get some important results.”
Writer’s View
No team is too good to go down or even has the right of entitlement. Blackburn Rovers have so often flirted with a return to the Premier League since dropping out in 2012 but also dipped into League One just 6 years ago. They, like all others in the close relegation fight, will want to avoid that drop.
As Pickering says they will need to fight, and they should have enough to gain enough points. No one knows for certain what number of points will achieve safety this season, so turning the recent run of five draws in six games into wins will be crucial. Likewise, remaining stubborn and avoiding defeat will help. It is though keeping together and displaying unity that should see them stay above that dreaded dotted line.
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