Tyrhys Dolan celebrates scoring Blackburn's winner against WatfordImage source, Rex Features
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Tyrhys Dolan's winner against Watford was his seventh goal of the season and second in five days

Blackburn Rovers kept their hopes of clinching a Championship play-off spot on the final day alive with a come-from-behind victory against Watford at Ewood Park.

Mattie Pollock's second-half header from a corner to put the Hornets ahead had Rovers in danger of having their bid for a top-six finish ended.

Danny Batth, who had a first-half goal for Blackburn disallowed, went on to hit the woodwork in search of a leveller which finally came from Todd Cantwell.

Tyrhys Dolan then went on to find the bottom corner with a first-time finish late on to win it and move Blackburn to within two places and a point of the play-offs.

A fourth successive defeat drops the Hornets to 13th in the table and heaps ever-increasing pressure on boss Tom Cleverley.

This latest loss, which could end up leaving Watford closer to the relegation places than the play-off spots at the end of the season, came against a Blackburn side managed by Valerien Ismael - the man Cleverly replaced at Vicarage Road just a year ago.

Batth had the ball in the back of the net for Blackburn in the 26th minute, but his poked finish counted for nothing as the flag was raised for offside.

Pollock broke the deadlock when he met Imran Louza's corner early in the second half, but Blackburn went close to restoring parity just minutes later when Batth crashed a header of his own off the crossbar.

Cantwell renewed Rovers' hopes of taking their play-off bid to the final day, meeting a looped cross from Yuki Ohashi to squeeze home the leveller just before the hour.

And with 16 minutes remaining, Cantwell turned provider himself with his low cross teeing Dolan up for the winner.

'We have put ourselves in good position' - reaction

Blackburn Rovers head coach Valerien Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"The performance was right in the second half. We have now put ourselves in a good position, we have every chance now [of making the play-offs].

"One month ago it looked completely different with a lot of problems, injured players, we were losing games. And now we have turned it around with another brilliant performance in the second half.

"We stayed really calm after we conceded the goal and we finished well with two great goals.

"We will enjoy the moment now. It was our goal to win the game after we saw Coventry's result at Luton before kick-off [a Luton win] and now it will be very interesting."

Watford boss Tom Cleverley told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"For me, that was an unacceptable performance. It was way, way short of the demands we put on the players and the standards we set for large parts of the season.

"It was completely below the level in all aspects of the game. For me, it has significance on how we can enter the summer and prepare for next season to ensure we don't fall short next season.

"We spent, I think, 10 weeks in the play-off places this season and next season we want to spend the last week in the play-offs, but performances like that are just unacceptable.

"It will be a significant performance that, because it's clear that we need to change quite a lot to ensure that it isn't replicated. I'll start with the culture and environment, for sure, I feel like it needs to go up a level."

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