Blackburn Rovers, champions of England in 1995, are now a third-rate club. Call it the Venky’s effect. Here on Sunday Blackburn achieved the least satisfying victory in their history as results elsewhere condemned them to relegation to League One.

There was no last-gasp escape for the dishevelled Lancashire club, just as there is no miracle cure for the ills that have afflicted Rovers since they were taken over by an Indian chicken-processing corporation in 2010. Blackburn were 14th in the top flight back then; now they are heading towards the third tier, a level unknown to them since their return in 1980.

The fall would be easier for the club’s fans to tolerate if they had confidence that the team have reached rock bottom. But Rovers are around £100m in debt, many of the players are due to leave this summer and the owner has given no indication that it has the will or ability to stop the slide, let alone reverse it.

Two telephone calls remain the only contact that Tony Mowbray has had with Venky’s since being appointed Blackburn manager in February. He says he is scheduled to fly to India “in the next week or two” to find out how seriously the owner intends backing a promotion attempt. Given that the club have spent £250,000 on players in the past two years, optimism at this point would seem misplaced. The table says that goal difference did for Blackburn in the end, but the main cause was ineptitude away from the pitch, along with neglect or worse.

It was fitting, in a way, that Blackburn’s relegation came after an ultimately useless victory, a denouement highlighting the potential that has been wasted at the club. The spirit shown by players on the pitch and supporters in the stands was overridden by events beyond their control.

The tantalisingly slim margin between the three teams scrambling to escape relegation meant it was always going to be a nerve-shredding afternoon at Brentford. Scenarios still possible before kick‑off included Blackburn losing but surviving thanks to results elsewhere or, as it transpired, winning but going down.

Rovers fans rode a whirl of emotions, lurching from optimism to joy, then to fear and, finally, sorrow and rage. “We want our Rovers back,” the 1,650 demanded after the final whistle here. Who knows when, or whether, they will get their wish?

It had all started like a dream for Mowbray’s team. Charlie Mulgrew shot them into the lead in the 10th minute with an immaculate free-kick, curling the ball into the top corner from 25 yards. Rovers fans began singing and dancing because as things stood, their side were on course to survive. That prospect grew brighter when Blackburn scored again six minutes later, Danny Guthrie grabbing his first goal for the club thanks to a excellent work by Sam Gallagher, a deflection off a defender and weak goalkeeping by Daniel Bentley, who allowed the ball to trickle over the line. With so many things going in Rovers’ favour, it was no wonder there was suddenly conviction in the away fans’ chants of “We are staying up”.

But then Forest scored against Ipswich Town, and Brentford fans gleefully relayed the news with chants of “You are going down”. The travelling contingent retorted with cries of “We’re going to win 3-0”. Not the most sophisticated tit‑for‑tat, admittedly, but the soundtrack gave the atmosphere an extra fizz and tension.

And Rovers did create chances to make it 3-0. Gallagher, on loan from Southampton, was so committed to Blackburn’s cause that he collided with a goalpost as he tried to divert a cross from Elliott Bennett into the net, but his bravery was unrewarded as his shot flew over the bar. Derrick Williams also fired over from close range before Gallagher got another opportunity just before half-time, only to be denied by David Raya.

Brentford had been loose in the first half but improved in the second. So, elsewhere, did Forest. Blackburn’s hopes deteriorated further when Lasse Vibe pulled a goal back for Brentford, superbly flicking Harlee Dean’s low cross beyond the reach of David Raya in the Blackburn goal. Blackburn fans were struck dumb. Mowbray clasped his head in his hands.

Brentford continued to attack, intent on ending their own season on a high in front of a home crowd. Blackburn did not surrender even as their chances of survival grew more remote. Craig Conway rocketed a penalty into the net after being fouled by Dean, whose season ended a little earlier than everyone else’s when the referee showed him a red card.

Elsewhere, Birmingham’s match ended earlier than expected, too, as the referee blew for full-time prematurely, at least if the fourth official had been correct when indicating the amount of time that would be added on.

That was just another irritating quirk on a sorry day for Rovers, to be filed alongside the fact that Newcastle United were confirmed as champions: Rovers did the double over them this season.

So Blackburn ended with a two-goal win that took Mowbray’s haul since replacing the sacked Owen Coyle to 22 points from 15 matches. If they had gained points at that rate all season they would have finished in the top half. But Rovers got their act together too late. Their next performance will be in League One.