ROVERS resurrected their hopes of avoiding the drop with a Good Friday win at Nottingham Forest, and boosted their chances further with an unlikely point against Bristol City.

With 20 minutes to go Rovers trailed 1-0 and had been desperately disappointing but Sam Gallagher’s 12th of the campaign turned the game on its head and Tony Mowbray’s side then went in search of a winner that wouldn’t quite come.

Going in to the Easter weekend Rovers were four points from safety with five games to go. That deficit, after a four point haul, is down to just one with three to play.

This game could, and most probably should, have been out of sight before Rovers’ late fightback, with the visitors squandering a host of opportunities after taking a 1-0 lead through Tammy Abraham’s early opener.

But Rovers summoned a response in the dying stages when they needed one most. Defeat could well have dashed any hopes they had of avoiding the drop

Mowbray named an unchanged side from the one which won at Forest four days earlier – but the contrast in performance couldn’t have been more drastic early on.

Rovers were booed off at the break, and understandably so, after a first-half devoid of so many of the qualities they had shown at the City Ground.

They lacked options in possession and failed to trouble Bristol City’s Blackburn born and former Rovers goalkeeper Frankie Fielding in the opening 45 minutes, a Gallagher header from an Elliott Bennett cross apart.

Rovers’ inability to pick up second balls was troubling, with home stopper David Raya exposed far too easily. The threat of the Championship’s second top scorer, Abraham, was clear, but Rovers didn’t heed the warning as they fell behind in the 14th minute. There was no pressure on the ball as Marlon Pack was allowed to chip a pass over the top for the Chelsea loanee who ghosted in behind to fire past Raya.

Pack was running the game from the middle of the pitch, with the Robins peppering the Rovers goal with shots from distance.

Jamie Paterson, Josh Brownhill and Korey Smith forced saves from Raya in the opening half an hour, while Pack also fired over.

Rovers had to change things at the break with Craig Conway and Lucas Joao coming on, but the pattern of the game didn’t change.

Pack fired wide from 25 yards as Rovers could only half clear a free-kick, while Matty Taylor should have done better with his effort from 10 yards out, shooting over the top after Brownhill had given two Rovers defenders the slip down the right.

The alterations made the game more open, but that only looked to be playing in to the hands of the visitors who missed another glorious chance for 2-0.

A quick counter saw Paterson play in Abraham, but his first time effort at the back post was pushed away by Raya.

With Rovers struggling to create anything, and the game tipping in to the final quarter, Mowbray went for broke and sent on Marvin Emnes for Elliott Ward.

The game should have been out of sight though, with Brownhill squandering another good opportunity in the 70th minute, tamely shooting straight at Raya after being teed up by Abraham.

But all of a sudden the game changed.

Rovers levelled on 71 minutes when Gallagher nodded in at the back post from Bennett’s cross.

The home crowd were lifted and Rovers reinvigorated.

Jason Lowe thumped a volley narrowly wide, before Gallagher had strong appeals for a penalty waved away as he ran on to a Joao pass.

It was suddenly all Rovers, with the crowd roaring them forward, but try as they might, the ball wouldn’t drop for them inside the six yard box as the hosts enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the closing stages.

It is a point in the right direction for Rovers but the visitors left the happier.