While Blackburn’s form during the first half of the season has deservedly kept them inside the top six, the North-West outfit had reached a point on Tuesday where they were at risk of dropping outside of the playoff spots.
Being 1-0 down at home to struggling Derby County only increased the pressure on Tony Mowbray and his players but with their backs to the wall, they responded decisively to get their season back on track.
Not only did goals from Scott Wharton, Tyrhys Dolan and Sam Gallagher secure a 3-1 victory over the Rams, it comprehensively ended a run of just one goal from nine matches.
In comparison to many of their rivals, Blackburn have a favourable run-in, but Mowbray will stress to his side that they can ill-afford another slip-up in the final game before the international break.
That said, Blackburn head into this contest having failed to win any of their last six league fixtures away from home, just 14 goals in total being scored on the road in 18 games.
Although that will make for pleasant reading for their next opponents, Reading possess the third-worst home record in the division, winning just once at the Madejski Stadium since the middle of October.
That success came in Paul Ince’s first game against Birmingham City on February 22, but the Royals have failed to prevail in any of their last four matches.
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On a positive note, however, a three-game losing streak was ended by an impressive point coming from the fixture at Bournemouth in midweek, Tom Ince netting an equaliser seven minutes from time.
The importance of that strike remains to be seen but in the short term, it has kept Reading two points above Barnsley, who they face after the international break.
While many will still rate Reading as outsiders to avoid dropping into League One, avoiding defeat against another promotion candidate on Saturday may change that perception
