Any win will do for Blackburn against Wigan, says Andy Hinchcliffe
Friday 2 March 2018 11:31, UK
Andy Hinchcliffe believes it is vital for Blackburn to win against Wigan by any means necessary to assert themselves as promotion favourites in Sky Bet League One.
Rovers are top of the table heading into their lunchtime clash on Sunday, which is live on Sky Sports Football, and six points clear of their opponents, who have four games in hand on them.
However, Wigan's FA Cup commitments on the horizon and the postponement of second-place Shrewsbury's match on Saturday means that Blackburn could lay down a real marker with victory at Ewood Park.
"This is such an important game for Blackburn and it's one clearly that they'll want to win," Hinchcliffe said on EFL Matters on Thursday.
"They don't have to win 4-0, just win the game and pick up the three points. It's a statement of intent and will put some distance between themselves and the teams in the play-offs."
Wigan had led the table for much of the season, but delays to some fixtures due to their impressive FA Cup run and other reasons means that they could fall nine points behind Blackburn on Sunday.
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Hinchcliffe added: "Will Wigan have half a mind on the FA Cup? They've got games in hand so I still expect them to be up there and go up automatically as well, but if Blackburn beat Wigan it will be a sign of how strong they are."
Blackburn's hierarchy have been much criticised in recent years as the club have dropped from the Premier League to the third tier, but Hinchcliffe believes the owners deserve some level of credit for sticking with Mowbray after their relegation from the Championship.
"He's a very experienced manager and that's why Blackburn took him on in the Championship," said Hinchcliffe. "They were probably thinking that if they stayed up they'd have a great manager at that level but if they went down they would stick with him because they liked his philosophy.
"You have to give the hierarchy at the club a lot of credit for bringing him on board before they got relegated. They weren't sure what was going to happen but they knew they've got a good man with the right principles and that players want to play for him. They showed a lot of faith and it's the reason they're going to get promoted this season.
"They've held on to a couple of key players as well like Charlie Mulgrew, and they've added Bradley Dack who has scored a bundle of goals this season. They've got the balance just right, they're strong defensively and score loads of goals.
"The weight of expectation on Blackburn in League One is huge, they were expected to romp it and it's down to Mowbray and his players to do that."
Don't miss the Sky Bet League One clash between Blackburn and Wigan on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football from 11.30am
