This afternoon sees the 172nd competitive meeting between Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers with the pair set to go head-to-head at Ewood Park.
It has been a solid campaign for Rovers who look set to record a respectable mid-table finish while recuperation time in Sky Bet League One awaits opponents Bolton Wanderers next season following a torrid period which has seen them suffer both on and off-field problems.
Ahead of what could be a passionate afternoon for fans of both sides in BB2, we take a look at the facts and figures which summarise the previous meetings between these two traditional football clubs.
23 – Blackburn Rovers’ number 23, Bradley Dack, netted the only goal of the match from close range as Tony Mowbray’s side won the reverse fixture at the University of Bolton Stadium 1-0 in October
13 – Bolton Wanderers registered 13 shots on goal in their 1-0 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the reverse fixture, six more than their opponents
1881 – The first competitive meeting between these two sides came in 1881 when they met in the second round of the FA Cup at Leamington Road. It was Blackburn Rovers who won the match 6-2 just months before the club moved to their current home of Ewood Park
8 – The greatest number of goals scored when these two sides have met is eight. There have been three eight-goal thrillers with Blackburn Rovers’ 6-2 FA Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers in 1881 being followed by a 4-4 draw seven years later. In 1889, Rovers also beat The Whites 7-1 at Ewood Park
16 – Just one of the last 16 meetings between these two sides have ended goalless. That came in August 2015 when the pair cancelled each other out at Ewood Park
2012 – Bolton Wanderers last won at Ewood Park in 2012 when Kevin Davies and Lee Chung-Yong were on target in a 2-1 success
2 – The goalless draw at Ewood Park in 2015/2016 saw Blackburn Rovers field just two non-British players, those being Spanish goalkeeper David Raya and Republic of Ireland international defender Shane Duffy
24 – The two clubs go into this afternoon’s match separated by 24 points in the Sky Bet Championship table. Blackburn Rovers occupy 14th position while relegated Bolton Wanderers are 23rd
4 – Each of the last four fixtures have seen either one or neither team score. Both teams haven’t scored in this Lancashire derby since Bolton Wanderers won 2-1 at the University of Bolton Stadium on Boxing Day in 2014
0 – Phil Parkinson has lost both of his matches against Blackburn Rovers as a manager. His Colchester United side lost an FA Cup fourth round tie 3-0 at Ewood Park while his Bolton Wanderers side were defeated by Rovers earlier this season
This afternoon’s match kicks-off at 3pm and will see the two sides meet for just the second time in almost three-and-a-half years.
