For the Rams, losing to a long ball with Kuqi racing clear to score the goal within 3 minutes of Moses being sent off was a bit of a biblical rebuke to their new messiah, Son of Cloughie. Nigel? "We didn't take our chances, especially the one that fell to Rob Hulse in the 94th minute.
I thought we had got to grips with the game in the second half but I think they had a feeling of injustice over the sending off and that seemed to galvanise them. We have to win one out of our last three games - or at least get a couple or draws - if we want to be OK."

Bywater, Connolly, Todd, Albrechtsen, Nyatanga, Sterjovski (Villa 76), Savage, Pearson (Eustace 72), Teale, Commons (Bannan 85), Hulse.
Subs Not Used: Price, Beardsley.

Booked: Sterjovski.

Att: 14,736

So much for dreams of overhauling Palace; still, a nice easy home game to Reading Tuesday:
13 Crystal Palace 44 9 7 6 26 19 6 4 12 26 34 -1 56
14 Doncaster 44 8 5 9 14 18 8 2 12 26 34 -12 55
15 Coventry 43 8 7 6 23 22 5 7 10 20 30 -9 53
16 Watford 44 10 6 6 39 31 4 4 14 23 38 -7 52
17 Blackpool 44 5 7 10 24 32 7 9 6 21 25 -12 52
18 Derby 43 8 7 6 30 24 5 5 12 23 38 -9 51
19 Plymouth 44 7 5 10 30 33 6 6 10 13 22 -12 50
20 Nottm Forest 44 7 7 8 24 27 5 6 11 22 36 -17 49
21 Barnsley 43 8 6 8 27 23 4 5 12 14 32 -14 47
T>H>E>>D>R>O>P>
22 Norwich 43 9 5 8 35 26 3 5 13 18 35 -8 46
23 Southampton 44 4 9 9 21 27 6 5 11 22 37 -21 44
24 Charlton 43 5 7 9 27 34 2 7 13 19 35 -23 35

Wolves were promoted, Charlton relegated, Leicester are back up.
As for Blackburn, similar experience. Sam? "Stoke is a difficult place to play. We contained them quite well but could not do anything in an attacking sense. We were a bit lightweight up front because we were without Jason Roberts and Roque Santa Cruz.The most insignificant cross of the day ended up Liam Lawrence scoring the only goal for them."

OK Play it again Sam. OK OK, I know they didn't say that in Casablanca. When Ilsa first enters the Café Americain, she spots Sam and asks him to "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." When he feigns ignorance, she responds, "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.' "

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Diouf, Andrews, Mokoena (Dunn 81), Warnock, Pedersen, McCarthy (Villanueva 68).
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Grella, Khizanishvili, Olsson, Doran.

Booked: Warnock.

Att: 27,500

So much for dreams of overhauling Stoke.
11 Stoke 33 9 5 3 20 14 1 4 11 13 34 -15 39
12 Man City 32 10 0 6 32 15 1 5 10 15 27 5 38
13 Bolton 33 7 2 7 19 19 4 2 11 20 31 -11 37
14 Portsmouth 32 7 3 7 23 25 2 7 6 12 23 -13 37
15 Sunderland 33 6 3 8 19 20 3 5 8 12 23 -12 35
16 Hull 33 3 5 8 16 30 5 5 7 20 26 -20 34
17 Blackburn 33 4 6 6 18 23 4 4 9 17 32 -20 34
T>H>E>>D>R>O>P>
18 Middlesbrough 33 5 8 4 16 17 2 2 12 9 30 -22 31
19 Newcastle 32 4 6 6 21 27 2 6 8 16 25 -15 30
20 West Brom 32 5 3 8 20 30 1 4 11 8 29 -31 25

Home to Wigan late next Sunday.