Michel Salgado came through 45 minutes unscathed as the Rovers Reserves got their season off to a winning start at Leigh Sports Village.

The former Real Madrid start played the first half at left back as Rovers defeated Liverpool 3-2.

It was his half-time replacement Josh Morris who scored the decisive goal, netting a last minute penalty after fellow sub' Julio Santa Cruz had been felled in the box.

Liverpool had the better of the game for long periods, Nathan Eccleston had opened the scoring on two minutes before Aaron Doran scored an equally impressive goal just past the half hour after Salgado's decisive through ball.

The visitors clawed their way back into the lead five minutes after the restart when Eccleston fired home for his and Liverpool's second on the night, but a defensive mix-up saw an Andy Haworth cross pushed onto Daniel Ayala by 'Pool goalkeeper Jacob and the ball rolled into the back of the net.

Rovers were forced into a change when goalscorer Aaron Doran limped off, the young Irishman who had been lively throughout was unable to continue after being on the end of a robust challenge, but it was his replacement Julio Santa Cruz that would play a hand in Rovers winning the match.

Liverpool pressed for a winner with Ngog seeing a fierce shot well saved by Fielding, but at the death it was the home side who grabbed all three points when deep into added time Julio Santa Cruz was tripped in the area andJosh Morris marked his first Reserve team appearance with a debut goal, stepping up to cooly slot home with Jacob diving in the wrong direction.

ROVERS: Fielding; Salgado (sub Morris 46 mins), Flynn, Jones, O'Connor, Haworth, Morrissey, Lowe, Marshall, Rigters, Doran (sub Santa Cruz 58 mins).

Subs not used: Hall, Kean (GK), Hanley.

LIVERPOOL: Jacob, Degen, Darby, Ayala, Kyrgiakos (sub Kelly 46 mins), Spearing, Pacheco, Eccleston, Ngog, Plessis (sub Palsson 79 mins), Bruna (sub Amoo 85 mins).

Subs not used: Belford (GK), Irwin.

Booked: Jones, Lowe (Rovers), Ayala, Plessis (Liverpool)

Attendance: 828

2008/09 - Fans have been kept interested as Rovers almost annually flirt with relegation only to break away at the last minute. They seemed primed for better things until they lost their manager Mark Hughes to the rich Manchester City - his successor was Paul Ince. Life in the Premiership would prove too much for Ince and he was sacked before the beginning of the New Year. He was replaced by a man whose brand of football is tailored to guide Blackburn to smoother sailing in the future. That man is Sam Allardyce. His first task was to steer Rovers clear of relegation, a task he managed, but will want better next time.

Rovers will hope for a solid start to the season by being harder to beat. They will be more organised under Allardyce and the only question is what kind of squad will he have to work with? He has not had the talent available to him that previous managers have but he must compensate. He will look to strengthen on a budget but will equally want to raise the fitness levels of his current squad as they conceded far too many goals last term. Rovers have a good foundation of a sound goal keeper, a multi-skilled centre-back, a promising full-back and a clinical striker in: Paul Robinson, Christopher Samba, Stephen Warnock and Benni McCarthy – all of whom have something to prove this season.

Transfer campaign - The summer window has so far seen a revolving door at Ewood Park. No less than eight players have left the club, one of those being a loan deal and the experienced Tugay has finally retired. Four players have joined the team with more on the horizon. At one point Ruud van Nistelrooy was mentioned but that has been pushed aside as it would not have been in keeping with the club’s wage structure for a player who is still sidelined with injury. Fans may feel cheated as they did not get to see the full talents of Matt Derbyshire as he has been sold to Greek giants Olympiakos. However, Rovers are close to signing 21-year-old Nikola Kalinic from Croatian side Hajduk Split.

Transfers in

Gael Givet - Marseille - undisclosed

Lars Jacobsen - Everton - free transfer

Elrio van Heerden - Brugge - free transfer

Steven N’Zonzi - Amiens – undisclosed

Transfers out

Keith Tracey - Sheffield United - loan

Josh O’Keefe - Walsall - free transfer

Matt Derbyshire - Olympiakos - undisclosed

Roque Santa Cruz - Manchester City - £17m

Aaron Mokoena - Portsmouth - free transfer

Andre Ooijer - PSV Eindhoven - free transfer

Tony Kane - Carlisle United - free transfer

Tugay - retired

First XI - Sam Allardyce’s Rovers are a team which, normally, from week to week picks itself as the squad currently lacks depth. This is simply a provisional XI and the actual team will depend on other players returning from injury. Steven Reid is one such player who if fit is worthy of a start. Also Big Sam has a reputation of playing extra cautiously against the top teams and may choose Samba to play up front which would bring Zurab Khizanishvili into defence and a striker drop to the bench. Here is the most likely 4-4-2 team for the first fixture against Manchester City –

1 Robinson

3 Warnock - 4 Samba - 6 Nelsen - 21 Givet

18 Diouf - 17 Andrews - 11 Grella - 12 Pedersen

10 McCarthy - 30 Roberts

The manager - Sam Allardyce has a reputation for being an intimidating yet fair manager. He also has the knack for bringing big name players who are in the twilight of their career to his club. His approach to the game is a physical one which focuses on building pressure and making life difficult for the opposition as we saw weekly during his time at Bolton. He will want to prove himself again as he felt unfairly dismissed after his time at Newcastle. This is his first full season with Rovers and he will want to steer them to a top half finish.

Mr. Reliable - Christopher Samba gets this title simply for his love of the game and willingness to compete no matter who the opposition are and regardless of the scoreline. He gives 100% to the team cause in every game and contributes where possible at both ends of the pitch - which is impressive for a centre-half. He has shown great aerial ability in both boxes and he can finish quite tidily for a defender, however, it must be remembered he played as a striker during his youth. He is still young at 25 and has been a terrific servant so far to Blackburn.

Creative force - Morten Gamst Pedersen had a poor season by his own standards where he failed to contribute much in terms of the goal scoring responsibilities yet he is still their main source of attacking threat with his powerful strike and dead-ball delivery. He has a cultured left foot and he knows where the goal is at all times. Despite not registering much goal wise he led the Rovers assist rankings last season with eight in the league. He is still very much central to their attacking plans in any game he plays. He will look for a brighter season this year.

Youth Prospect - Blackburn Rovers are not blessed with the youth system of some other teams but a player that will look to become a regular soon is Julio Santa Cruz - younger brother of the now Manchester City player Roque Santa Cruz. He is only 19 and will want to prove himself in the same league his has succeeded in. He will get a chance to press his case for promotion to the first team in the cup games this season.

The fixtures - The first twelve fixtures will provide a stern test as Blackburn face no less than 8 top ten teams, including both Manchester outfits, Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa. Depending on how this run pans out for Rovers they may well be quite happy with themselves or horribly behind other teams early on. This sequence will definitely shape the rest of the season for Blackburn. They will want to compete well in these fixtures as they conceded heavily in such games last campaign.

Home grown talent - The Blackburn squad has eight English, one Welsh and four Irish players. Of the English players only three feature regularly for the team and those three predictably are Paul Robinson, Stephen Warnock and David Dunn. From the Irish contingent two feature regularly in Steven Reid and Keith Andrews. Welsh keeper Jason Brown deputises for Paul Robinson when necessary and is talented in his own right. At most, fans can expect possibly five home-based players to feature regularly which is respectable compared to some other clubs. However, Blackburn has a mixed nationality playing staff and the fans will support whoever plays.

Season prediction - Last season Rovers did themselves no favours by conceding 60 goals and only scoring a mere 40. If the first twelve fixtures can reap 12 points or more - considering the opposition - this would represent a solid platform. If less is achieved it will prove a mammoth task to finish in the top ten but Rovers fans can take heart from Tottenham – who recovered from an awful start to finish 8th last year. Blackburn should aim to improve from their 15th position last term with anything above that seen as a bonus. Big Sam will need a full squad to choose from to stand a chance of achieving this task. He will be encouraged by the return of the talented Steven Reid and he will take heart from the strides his team made to improve last season. He will need a striker to hit form early to keep them competing this term. Top half may prove a stretch this season.

Leigh Genesis 0 Blackburn Rovers Reserves 2

ALTHOUGH Leigh Genesis ended up with their third defeat in four pre-season friendlies they emerged with plenty of credit from a defeat to an experienced Blackburn side, writes Matt Lawton.

Rovers’ team featured several players with Premier League and international experience.

Welsh international goalkeeper Jason Brown made seven first-team appearances last season, while Swedish under 21 defender Martin Olsson has a dozen first-team games under his belt .

Georgian international defender Zurab Khizanishvili has played on more than 90 occasions for Blackburm, while Republic of Ireland under 19 midfielder Aaron Doran featured on three occasions for Sam Alladyce’s men last season.

Striker Paul Gallagher scored 13 goals in 40 Championship appearances for Plymouth Argyle last term, while recently signed forward Elrio Van Heerden, capped 30 times by his native South Africa, also lined up for the visitors.

Canadian striker David Hoilett had a shot cleared off the line by Genesis defender Karl Munroe, who has now signed permanently for the club after a recent trial period, before he put his side in front on 35 minutes.

He broke clear of some slack marking to slide the ball past Stephen Drench.

On the stroke of half-time the visitors were awarded a penalty but Drench kept out Blackman’s tame spot kick.

Brown had to be at his best to keep out a spectacular Jamie Baguley snapshot early in the second half before both sides made a large number of substitutions, including the introduction from the Rovers bench of Julio Santa Cruz, brother of Roque.

Blackburn’s victory was sealed late on when Hoilett’s left-foot strike across goal was knocked over the line by Blackman.

Leigh’s next game is at Kendal Town on Saturday, kick off 3pm, before a shorter journey to face Turton on Tuesday.

Leigh: Drench (GK), Howarth, King, Munroe, Smith, Heald, Dorney, Flitcroft, Chris Baguley, Stepien, Jamie Baguley. Subs (all used): Ince, Ross, Whitham, Settle, Dykes, Sephton, Burns, Green.