Blackburn Rovers' next generation's first step after rebuild

Valerien Ismael’s side were well worthy of their 1-0 victory at Vicarage Road with Ryoya Morishita’s first goal enough to take the points back to Lancashire.

It was a fantastic moment for the Japanese forward, rounding off a great team move to slot into the corner. Rovers restricted Watford to very little as they managed the rest of the match to secure successive away wins.

Here are The Lancashire Telegraph’s main takeaways from victory at Vicarage Road.

READ MORE: Valerien Ismael's verdict as Blackburn Rovers' transfer wait pays off

Mori’s perfect moment

It was not much of a surprise to see the Japanese forward handed in his full debut after a bright cameo against Norwich City. Ismael has not been shy about him being the club’s marquee addition and so after two weeks to bed in, it was logical to throw him in.

Morishita showed exactly what he’s all about. He actually didn’t start the game amazingly, losing the ball on a few occasions. One of which was when he overran the ball and was shielded out for a goal-kick. Welcome to English football.

But the 28-year-old’s character has been evident from his first interview. Morishita is ultra-competitive despite his smiley exterior. Soon after, he sent a shot crashing off the underside of the bar; inches away from a brilliant goal on his ‘weaker’ left side.

His moment would come and it was worth the wait. He latched onto Yuki Ohashi’s clever flick and finished with fantastic composure. It was a special goal for him which he celebrated in front of the ecstatic away end. Out came the helicopter.

Rovers waited patiently for Morishita, knowing he wouldn’t be available until the end of the transfer window as a result of Legia Warsaw’s Europa League qualifiers. Yet he was a player Ismael told the board to wait for such was his quality.

Coming off the back of his career-best season of 14 goals and 14 more assists, there was little doubt he’d score when he was put through. Sometimes, it’s just a gut feeling. You know when someone is going to find the net.

It’s early days but after losing Tyrhys Dolan and Andi Weimann’s goal threat, he went some way to alleviating those concerns.

Scott Wharton stars

Whilst Morishita might take the headlines, my man of the match was Scott Wharton. He was simply outstanding on his first Championship start in 17 months.

510 days separated his last 90 minutes in the league but Wharton looked just as sharp as he did throughout pre-season. Defensively, he was fantastic, winning every header, duel and snuffing out danger.

On the ball, Wharton is a progressive passer too. He is not overly safe with possession and will take necessary risks which helps Rovers beat the opposition press.

Alongside Hayden Carter, who was also solid on his return from injury, they were a solid defensive unit. Balazs Toth had very little to do in the way of big saves. To say they lead from the 47th minute, the way they restricted Watford to such few chances was mightily impressive.

Wharton is a Rovers lad, he bleeds blue and white; you know how the song goes. In a squad that has fewer English, let alone Lancashire, representatives, retaining some local identity through Wharton is very important. Ismael has spoken about this at length too, labelling him and Carter as ‘the face of the club’ as Academy graduates.

There was understandable concern about Dom Hyam’s departure was not a reflection on the quality of what was left behind. More the availability and reliability.

It was a timely reminder of how good they can be.

Summer signings settle

It was a good afternoon for a number of the new recruits. Sidnei Tavares had his best performance of the season, spraying some impressive passes and being combative in midfield.

Ryan Alebiosu has been the pick of the signing so far at right-back. He was again very effective both offensively and defensively. Early days but he looks a bargain at 500K or so.

Andri Gudjohnsen was bright off the bench. He will be eased in and looks like strong competition for Ohashi, who was excellent. Suddenly, the squad looks a lot stronger and more settled.

Ismael reflected on the added tactical flexibility a more stacked squad allowed him. His switch to 3-5-2 helped restrict Watford in wide areas with extra cover down the flanks.

It's the start of a new chapter at Rovers. New leaders must emerge, fan favourites replaced. This was a good first step for the next generation.

Performance matches result

I personally have felt Rovers’ performances have been better than the results they’ve had in the first five games.

In my opinion, they were value for three points against Birmingham City, let alone one, yet lost. Similarly, they could’ve taken a point against Norwich but shot themselves in the foot with the red card.

They were undercooked against West Brom with transfer uncertainty and blew Hull City away. So I was delighted with the way they managed the closing stages to come away with three points.

This was another good display, second only to the win on Humberside. Though it was a slender scoreline, anybody without bias would agree Rovers were the better side.

Off the back of some negativity around the window, performances only get you so far. This has helped lift some of the clouds and bought Ismael more time to bed in new recruits who will need it.

Ismael shows his delight

It’s rare Ismael gets emotional. He’s pretty unflappable, win, lose or draw. He rarely shows much frustration and is very level-headed.

But there was some gusto behind the fist bumps that greeted the final whistle as he celebrated with the away fans. A concoction of delight, relief and enthusiasm, all coming out.

That sort of authenticity will only earn him more supporters and the fan club seems to have grown over the summer. He is a great communicator and figurehead for the club but results will dictate his popularity.

It’s hard not to feel pleased for him. It’s not been an easy seven months in charge. I really hope he’s judged fairly and gets the time he’ll need to integrate a new influx of players.

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