Ade takes shine off Bassett's perfect day

Blackburn 0 Leicester 0

Leicester did new manager Dave Bassett proud with the kind of performance that needed only a goal from the luckless Ade Akinbiyi to make it a perfect night for their revival to begin.

The goalless draw still gave Leicester their first point since Bassett took over from Peter Taylor.

Graeme Souness, whose side had scored 10 goals in a week against West Ham and Arsenal, could not have complained if Akinbiyi had converted either of a couple of golden chances to give bottom-of-the-table Leicester an unexpected victory.

Souness said: 'We were horrible. That's the worst we've played all season. Leicester worked their socks off to stop us playing but we knew that would be how they played.

' They huffed and puffed and knocked us out of our stride.'

Bassett is ready to offload out- of- touch Akinbiyi if he can get a £3million offer, with Leicester hoping to land Dean Windass from Middlesbrough and Bassett's former Barnsley hero Craig Hignett, who came off the bench for Rovers last night.

Akinbiyi missed a great chance to break his miserable spell, but after Stig Bjornebye's error let him in before half-time he smashed his shot against Brad Friedel then watched helplessly as the rebound off his own body flew wide of the open goal.

By the time another chance fell to him late in the game, he elected to cross to nobody in particular rather than risk another embarrassment in a one-onone-with Blackburn's goalkeeper.

Bassett said: 'Ade kept going and never gave up. All he needs is a bit of luck and he will turn the corner.

'We haven't got the magic to turn things around overnight, but this is an important point. We had to stop them playing and we did.

'The players know what we're trying to achieve. We're still bottom but we've got something to build on.'

Robbie Savage launched himself too wholeheartedly into Leicester's resurgence and his fifth booking of the season will cost him a one-match ban, but it was Rovers - with six yellow cards to Leicester's two - who caught the brunt of referee Rob Styles' clampdown.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Friedel; Neill, Berg, Johansson, Bjornebye (Hignett, 68min); Johnson (Gillespie

64), Flitcroft, Tugay, Dunn; Jansen, Grabbi (Bent, 39). Booked: Flitcroft, Tugay, Neill, Bjornebye, Johnson, Hignett.

Entertainment: ???

( LEICESTER ( 4- 4- 2): Walker; Marshall, Elliott, Sinclair, Davidson; Savage, Wise, Izzet, Impey; Akinbiyi, Benjamin (Scowcroft, 69). Booked: Wise, Savage.

Entertainment: ??? Star man: Tugay Referee: Rob Styles

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