The assurances that Blackburn Rovers supporters were seeking from Mark Hughes were not quite forthcoming last night as he stopped short of ruling himself out of contention for the managerial vacancy at Newcastle United. There are nervous days ahead for Blackburn, but if the 44-year-old is to follow Harry Redknapp’s lead by rejecting the expected overtures from Tyneside, a 90th-minute winning goal from Jason Roberts yesterday could be significant.

A draw at the Reebok Stadium would have left Hughes frustrated, his team having looked by far the likelier winners once Christopher Samba had cancelled out Kevin Nolan’s superb first-half strike, but Roberts’s goal changed his mood dramatically. Suddenly his team, humiliated in the FA Cup by Coventry City eight days earlier, were three points off fourth place in the Barclays Premier League and Hughes was talking up the “good situation” and “continuity” that he enjoys at the club – phrases seldom heard at St James’ Park.

Hughes would not dampen the speculation entirely, saying that “in football you never say never”, but Roberts’s goal left him with a spring in his step. “We’ve picked up ten points from the last 12 to put ourselves right back in the mix [for European qualification],” he said. “If we can get our home form right, we will have a very good finish to the season.”

The outlook at Bolton Wanderers is not so bright, with the sale of Nicolas Anelka followed swiftly by their first home league defeat since Gary Megson took charge in October.

The winning goal did not quite match Nolan’s in terms of quality, but it was a reminder of the talent of Roberts, who looked a likely match-winner yesterday from the moment he replaced Benni McCarthy with 13 minutes remaining. His goal took a deflection off Joey O’Brien, but the pace and power he showed in the build-up was reminiscent of his uncle, Cyrille Regis.

It was a goal that Blackburn deserved, having recovered well after falling behind two minutes before half-time to Nolan’s beautifully struck volley, a goal that Megson felt was as “as good as any you’ll see this season”.

With David Bentley to the fore – no doubt impressing Franco Baldini, who was watching on behalf of Fabio Capello, the new England manager – Blackburn fought their way back into the game, Samba equalising with a free header from Bentley’s corner. It was Roberts, frustrated at his lack of playing time, who had the final say, adding that it was “out of my hands” whether he would stay at the club.

That, like Blackburn’s entire destiny, lies in the hands of Hughes.

Bolton Wanderers (4-1-4-1): J Jaaskelainen 5 – J O’Brien 7, A O’Brien 6, L Michalik 4, R Gardner 6 – I Campo 6 (sub: G McCann, 57min 6) – D Guthrie 6, K Nolan 6, T Cohen 6 (sub: C Wilhelmsson, 63 4), S Giannakopoulos 4 – K Davies 5. Substitutes not used: A Al-Habsi, N Hunt, J Fojut. Booked: Campo, Cohen. Next: Newcastle United (a).

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): B Friedel 6 – A Ooijer 6 (sub: Z Khizanishvili, 73), C Samba 7, R Nelsen 7, S Warnock 7 – D Bentley 8, S Reid 6, D Dunn 6, M G Pedersen 6 – R Santa Cruz 5 (sub: M Derbyshire, 90), B McCarthy 4 (sub: J Roberts, 77). Substitutes not used: J Brown, B Berner. Booked: Samba. Next: Middlesbrough (h).

Referee M Dean
Attendance 18,315