Blackburn recorded their first clean sheet of the season with a 0-0 draw against Ipswich at Ewood Park.

Both of these struggling teams are finding wins and goals hard to come by and it showed in a game that will not live long in the memory.

Mick McCarthy's men had the best chances through the returning Adam Webster's first-half header which Jason Steele brilliantly saved, and he had to be at his best to stop Freddie Sears after the break.

Rovers showed plenty of endeavour but aside from long range shots, did very little to trouble the opposition and they remain in the bottom three following a third game without a goal. The Tractor Boys saw their goalless run stretch to five matches.

Blackburn handed a league debut to on-loan Martin Samuelsen in one of three changes, which saw Danny Graham and Jason Lowe miss out through injury and suspension respectively, while McCarthy welcomed back Webster from injury as he made two alterations.

Rovers started brightly enough but were almost caught cold in the 18th minute when Ben Marshall dithered and was dispossessed before Ipswich's top scorer Grant Ward fired a ferocious 25-yard shot that Steele parried.

Despite doing most of the defending, the Tractor Boys highlighted Blackburn's set piece weakness when Luke Chambers glanced a 19th minute header wide from close range.

Image: Owen Coyle

Moments later, Steele produced a wonderful point blank save as ex-Rover Leon Best headed on a corner for Webster, whose own header was somehow kept out.

Rovers showed signs of life 10 minutes before the break when Derrick Williams hammered over a left wing cross that Sam Gallagher headed over, before a superb passing move that just lacked the finishing touch from Marshall.

The opener almost came through some terrible Rovers play 16 minutes from time, as captain Craig Conway inexplicably chipped a pass towards his own goal that Sears intercepted and hammered a shot that bounced off Steele, who then blocked a Lawrence rebound from close range.

And despite late Ipswich pressure, the uneventful afternoon ended in a stalemate.

Blackburn manager Owen Coyle:

"I thought it was a very hard-fought Championship game, as we expected. I thought we started the first 15 minutes well, looked to get our passing game going and created them a number of problems.

"I felt thereafter we got caught up in Ipswich's way of playing. They're a big strong physical powerful team. They've got a certain way of playing, they can at times be very direct when they bang that ball and they go and squeeze and good wide players can go and play.

Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy:

"Jason Steele got the man of the match, he probably deserves it. Could we have been better, and more clinical? I don't know but I don't know what they've really contributed in the second half, certainly.

"I thought we were the better team. If any team was going to win, it was going to be us.

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