Paul Lambert's first game in charge of Blackburn Rovers ended with a 2-1 victory over Preston North End in the Lancashire derby this afternoon.
The hosts almost went ahead after 10 minutes, but Jason Steele stretched to his left to push away Paul Gallagher's long-range strike.
Blackburn's first opportunities arose from set pieces, but Shane Duffy missed the target with two headers in quick succession.
Shortly after the half-hour mark, Blackburn went ahead in fortuitous circumstances. After Corry Evans's initial effort had hit the post, Hope Akpan's follow-up shot was cleared off the line, but it rebounded into the net off the body of Preston goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Daniel Johnson nearly drew Preston level with a free kick in first-half injury time, but the midfielder's curling effort dropped the wrong side of the upright.
Blackburn doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half as Jordan Rhodes slammed home a penalty after Chris Taylor tumbled under a challenge in the box.
Joe Garner then sliced a volley wide of the near post, but he grabbed his first goal of the season with more than 20 minutes remaining to make for a nervy end to the match.
However, Blackburn were able to hold on as Preston's frustration became evident when Bailey Wright was shown a second yellow card in injury time.
Kristian Johnson
