Valerien Ismael sees progress as Blackburn climb out of the relegation zone

Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael said the 1-1 draw with Watford is a “step in the right direction,” after moving out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.

Rovers needed a strong start but were pinned back by the Hornets, who made their dominance count through Edo Kayembe’s powerful 26th-minute strike.

However, the hosts hit back within two minutes thanks to Lewis Miller’s flicked finish and came on strong as the game wore on. They almost completed the turnaround but Yuki Ohashi was thwarted by goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

It ended a run of two successive defeats and, after being plagued by an injury crisis that has seen Rovers manage without 14 first-team players, Ismael felt the change in fortune was helped by the return of five key players.

The former Watford boss said: “We are pleased with the performance, not with the result. We had the big chance in the second half to win it with Yuki.

“But this is a step in the right direction just to show you have to compete with your best players, at least half of the injured players to come back, and it’s helped us massively now to compete.

“You got that feeling that we were on the front foot. We were close to winning the game. I think the final pass, the shot, we had two or three situations we should have played better.

“But we feel completely another energy now on the pitch. When we are able to keep our players together and keep that momentum, we will be much better.”

Ismael credited his players for their response to going a goal down but accepts there is an issue of conceding from set pieces.

He added: “it’s frustrating but the good thing is we came back quickly in the game, so credit to the boys.

“There was no time to doubt for anyone – for the fans or our players. No time for the opponent to build some confidence.

“But it’s clear we need to talk about the things. We’ve got a set-pieces coach and week in, week out, we concede these goals. We need a solution to solve the problem.”

Watford’s two-game away winning run has ended, and Javi Gracia felt his side ‘relaxed’ after scoring and challenged the players to learn from it.

He said: “It was a shame because after scoring one goal and, in my opinion, dominating the first 25-26 minutes, it was a shame conceding so early and the goal coming from a corner kick.

“We conceded because, in my opinion, we relaxed in some moments. It is something we have to learn about because if they don’t score in that moment, I think we can manage the game better.

“Today, in my opinion, was something we must do better. We are marking soft. It’s something we knew, their three centre-backs attacking the near post, Ohashi going to the far post, being ready if they touch the ball at the near post. We worked on that, we prepare (for) these situations. It’s something we need to insist and try to do better next time.

“In the second half, we competed well, the game was a little bit more open but, in my opinion, we had the clearest chance with Giorgi (Chakvetadze). But we take one point.”