KK on defeat

Speaking to the media following the match, a clearly deflated Kevin Keegan tried to grasp the positives from a clear shocker of a result. Having battered Rovers for 90 minutes then suffered the ignominy of Derbyshire`s late winner, he said:

"Incredible [the result] that's football - it is a cruel game at times. I thought it was a magnificent performance. First half if we come in 2-0 or 3-0 up I don't think anyone would have questioned it. Second half we had four or five good chances, but if you don't stick them away you can get punished. We got caught with a sucker punch. Blackburn stole the three points today but that's football.

This week training has been superb and they had taken that into the game today and I feel really sorry for them in there because they definitely did not deserve this.

They have to pick themselves up and we have got to help pick them up and we have got to go to Anfield that is our next match. We have got to face reality - we have a lot of big games to come but if players play like that today I don't think we will have any problems, we will win more than we lose that's for sure. I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves, but at end of day we have got nothing for it.

We are a team that has not won in a while and confidence is low. That last-minute goal will not help but we will pick them up and dust them down and take them to Anfield. Spirit is good, no doubt about that. They have done everything they can to win a football match and as manager I certainly cannot ask for any more than that.'