Ben Gladwin could, if not should, have secured Blackburn a League One victory over Plymouth on Tuesday but his miss in the dying moments ensured the bottom side returned to Devon with a point.
The summer signing hasn’t found it easy adjusting to life at Ewood Park but the ‘wonderful talent’, who came off the bench in midweek, has been given the backing of Tony Mowbray.
Mowbray told the Official Website: ‘I feel for Ben. He’s been really patient, he’s had a tough start with acclimatising to new surroundings. It’s not easy to move your family, find a new house and try to hit the ground running. He’s found it difficult. Nonetheless, he’s a wonderful talent. You watch him in training and the boys have got massive admiration for his skill and ability.’
Not only would it have been a great time for Gladwin’s personal Blackburn career to have gained the winner, boosting his own confidence, it would have obviously secured three points, which Mowbray already believes were warranted.
However, it wasn’t to be for whatever reason.
‘What a time it would have been for him to score. In the last minute like that, it would have been great for his confidence and belief,’ added the boss. ‘It wasn’t to be. I don’t know whether it was a great save or a block by the defender, but these things happen.’
Meanwhile, Mowbray had made the decision to play Ryan Nyambe in central defence.
The boss paired Nyambe, 19, a right back by trade, alongside Scottish international Charlie Mulgrew as he believes such a move allowed Blackburn play in a different way with his attributes, albeit raw, benefiting us.
‘Ryan’s got some fantastic attributes, some fantastic assets, and that’s why I played him. I played him to allow us to play higher up the pitch, to play more in their half. With total respect to Elliott [Ward], when he plays we have to play deeper. Ryan allows us to play higher, and yet he’s not a central defender or the most accomplished in the air,’ Mowbray said in another interview on the Official Website.
Adding: ‘He’s got some wonderful attributes and, if he’s going to play centre-half, he has to learn the position. I’ve had discussions with him and he sees himself as a right-back. There’s no [Paul] Downing or [Darragh] Lenihan, so I made the decision to take a chance and put some speed next to Mulgrew.’
