Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City have shared a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the new Championship season at Ewood Park this evening.
The hosts appealed for a penalty inside the opening couple of minutes when Mark Hudson appeared to handle the ball while defending a Rudy Gestede cross, but the referee judged that the Cardiff captain was just outside the box when he committed the foul.
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The Welsh side had the better of the early chances, with Paul Robinson being tested by a Nicky Maynard effort inside the opening quarter of an hour.
However, the visitors did manage to break the deadlock when Hudson flicked the ball on for Kenwyne Jones from a Peter Whittingham free kick, allowing the striker to score his first goal for Cardiff since making his debut for the club in February.
Blackburn started to see more of the ball towards the end of the first half, allowing them to get back on level terms shortly before the break when Tom Cairney blasted the ball in from 25 yards out following a Jordan Rhodes through-ball.
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Gestede had the opportunity to give Blackburn the lead early in the second half, spotting David Marshall off his line, but the Frenchman could only head wide.
Cardiff had a strong spell of possession shortly after the hour mark, but could not put the Blackburn defenders under pressure.
The home side were given the chance to create a winner inside the final five minutes when Hudson brought down Rhodes just outside the box, but Craig Conway's free kick was eventually cleared.
Cardiff had a couple of corners in stoppage time as they also pressed for a winning goal, but they could not edge ahead again in the closing moments, ensuring that the match finished in a stalemate.
Sian Cowper
