Bristol City 0 Blackburn Rovers 2 - Archive

Grant Hanley still has an eye on end-of-season glory despite Blackburn's off-field problems.

Rovers have been operating under a transfer embargo for most of the year after breaking the Football League's Financial Fair Play rules and replaced manager Gary Bowyer with Paul Lambert in mid-November.

But skipper Hanley, 24, opened the scoring against City to take Rovers within five points of the play-offs before claiming the players have never lost their focus. He said:

"It's our mindset since day one. We haven't had the results we feel we've deserved, we've had changes of manager and things like that, but the lads are fully focussed and the play-offs are our main goal.

"We aren't getting ahead ourselves though because football's quick to slap you in the face."

And Hanley called on his teammates to continue chipping in with goals to support super-striker Jordan Rhodes who has netted nine times this season. He said:

"Jordan's a goal scorer and he's brilliant for us, but we can't always rely on him to score them. He's a massive, massive player for us, but it's important that the other lads including me pop up and get their fair share."

Lambert has seen his side take seven points from three games since replacing Bowyer and the former Aston Villa boss said:

"Do I think we need more players in January? Absolutely. We need to be stronger, but we can't go crazy.

"The problem we have is tempering expectation levels. It is a great football club and the good news during the week that the embargo has been lifted gave everyone a lift.

"There is a really good feeling at the club at the moment and we'll do all we can to keep creeping up the table."

Veteran City striker Aaron Wilbraham, 32, has enjoyed promotions with MK Dons, Norwich, Crystal Palace and the Robins as League One champions last season, but the club skipper said:

"I've also been in this position before. We were second favourites at Palace to get relegated, but ended up getting promoted to the Premier League after winning the Play-Off Final because we had a good team spirit and pulled together.

"I think this side has the same feel about it, but probably more talent. We don't look like a relegation team and we're definitely not playing like one.

"I spend time talking to the other players and try to pass on my experience and we're a close-knit group who spend a lot of time with each other chatting about the situation over coffee or in hotel lobbies at away games."

City manager Steve Cotterill was seething with whistler Geoff Eltringham for not giving a penalty to his team and then awarding one to Rovers that was converted by Ben Marshall. He fumed:

"We've decided we don't get penalties and the opposition do after this. It was 100 per cent not a penalty.

"I've watched both incidents again and it's a foul on Kieran Agard – he's all over him – and their penalty is not one. What can we do? We deserved a good refereeing performance and we deserved more than the zero points we got.

"I don't think their first goal should have counted either. Hanley has both his hands on Liam Moore's shoulders and it's a foul."

But Cotterill accepted the decision to dismiss Villa loanee defender Nathan Baker for picking up two yellow cards before Blackburn scored. He admitted:

"The sending-off is our fault and I am not defending Nathan Baker over it. We just want the rub of the green occasionally with decisions."