On This Day (18th January 1997): Tim Flowers denies Sunderland a win at Roker Park!

Yesterday at 01:00 AM

During the famous old stadium's farewell season, the visit of Blackburn Rovers to Wearside was a frustrating occasion for Peter Reid's side

With this being our final season at Roker Park, the pressure was on Peter Reid's team to not only survive, but to entertain the fans in what was going to be an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved.

Chronicled in Premier Passions, the ups and downs of this season provided great entertainment for the viewers but it's likely that this encounter against Blackburn Rovers was one that was edited out from the series.

In the middle of a decent run of form, the game against Tony Parkes' Rovers was seen as a great opportunity for the club to continue a run which had left them eleventh in the table going into this game.

Shay Given, on loan at Sunderland the previous season, was on the bench for the away side but it was the performance of another goalkeeper that stole the headlines.

In a game that was described as 'dull, lacklustre and lacking goalmouth action' by The Football Echo, Tim Flowers' save from a Richard Ord header from a corner late in the second half denied the home side three points which they felt they should've got against a team who were struggling.

In the first half, Sunderland missed some key chances that could've put the game out of sight.

In the first five minutes, the home side could've been ahead had John Mullin squared accurately enough for Alex Rae to convert in front of an open goal.

Minutes later, David Kelly had a chance when he was put free in front of the Blackburn defence, but his on-target shot was saved by Tim Flowers.

Blackburn contributed absolutely nothing, bar one decent chance in the first half, when Lionel Perez saved from Kevin Gallacher.

Chances were sparse as the game went on and it was Ord's header being saved by Flowers from point blank range that ensured the away side got a point at Roker Park.

As the season went on and with the Lads eventually relegated on the final day, it was games like this in mid-January that Peter Reid would surely look back on as an occasion that cost his team their chance of survival.

The losing run that followed this game piled the pressure on Reid's team, who were also extremely unfortunate with injuries throughout the season.