The home side were awarded a penalty following a foolish handle committed by new boy, Alex Marrow seeing Johnny Russell seize the advantage for the Rams, sending Jake Kean in the opposite direction to his powerful strike.
Rovers stayed composed throughout the match, with Best getting the equaliser in the 89th minute. It was the former Newcastle stars first goal since arriving at Blackburn having spent the majority of last season injured, he came back cautious and unable to perform at his best.
While Rovers looked ambitious in the first half, dynamic force Ruben Rochina dislocated his shoulder and was to be replaced by goalscorer Best. The injury means he will be out for "3-4 months" (as stated on his twitter) and as he went off, the inspiring creativity of the midfield disappeared with him.
Rochina spent the second half of last season on loan to Real Zaragoza. Frustratingly Rochina is prone to hesitation leading to losing the ball at times, however when on form he is capable of skilful footwork, stunning shots and despite his build, is surprisingly agile. His return to Rovers has been embraced with remarks that his creative flair is something the club has lacked and desires greatly.
The injury substitution saw the midfield (a partnership of Lowe and Marrow) start to appear industrious with the pair unable to secure a threatening link up. Hopefully the pair will spend time during training to focus on their partnership as the midfield was Rovers weakest aspect last season, so it is imperative to improve this area.
Loanee Todd Kane looked hungry for points despite a few silly errors in front of goal, however it is expected that he will play a big role throughout the season after two successful loan spells last season. A young Chelsea player with the aim of impressing Mourinho in an attempt to secure first team football at his home club, his performances are never shy of one hundred percent effort, commitment and determination.
New players, Tommy Spurr and substitutes Chris Taylor and Tom Cairney all appeared to gel into the squad quickly, with Spurr looking particularly talented. Taylor has a hunger about him that is a much needed addition to the squad, last season there was a unanimous feeling amongst fans that players didn't really care - the desire and hunger shown yesterday was pleasing and as long as that survives, the club can achieve plenty.
Another positive to take is that the squad were able to come back from a first half concession. Not being able to retaliate was a huge problem last year with Rovers generally being the team who were conceding late on in games, so it was both relieving and pleasing to see them fight back to take a point.
A worry is that with both Rochina and Campbell injured (DJ picked up an injury in pre season) the strike force is limited to Best and Rhodes. An area that needs improving this season is the section between midfield and up front - there needs to be more work done to ensure the ball can get to Rhodes in order for him to score. Colin Kazim-Richards made some good efforts last season to service Rhodes, however the Turk has returned to Galatasaray after his season long loan last year. The previous season saw many high and long balls from the defence to Rhodes which he struggled to get a touch on, so it is important to prioritise developing a strong link up between Rhodes and the midfield.
All in all, a point from Pride Park sets the season up nicely and without sounding too much like Steve Kean, there were many positives to take from the yesterday's match. Rovers head to Carlisle on Wednesday for their first game of the Capital One cup before hosting Nottingham Forest at Ewood Park on Saturday for their first home fixture.
