JOEY GUDJONSSON pulled the strings and scored a cracking winner as Town beat Premier League Blackburn Rovers 1-0 in last night’s entertaining friendly at the Galpharm Stadium.
A crowd of 6,651 watched the former Burnley midfielder fire home a blistering 18th-minute decider on a night when latest arrival Joe Garner made his debut as a second-half sub.
It was an encouraging show from Town in which Scott Arfield also caught the eye, and there is plenty for manager Lee Clark to build on in Saturday’s trip to Barnsley.
The manager kept to a 4-4-2 formation throughout, with skipper Peter Clarke and Jamie McCombe looking solid at the back and keeper Alex Smithies not having a save to make all game.
Town started the match impressively in front of scouts from Premier League outfits Fulham, West Ham, Arsenal and Everton.
Gudjonsson underlined the home team’s sharpness with a quickly-taken free-kick which was only a yard wide, and his midfield colleagues Arfield and Gary Roberts and former Blackburn junior Anthony Pilkington were all eager to get involved.
With Gary Naysmith making a couple of international-class tackles and Lee Peltier firing in excellent crosses from the right flank, Rovers were under pressure and it soon told.
The breakthrough came on 18, after another tremendous cross from Peltier, which deflected off Roberts and fell to Gudjonsson just outside the D of the penalty area.
The former Burnley player struck his right-foot volley superbly and keeper Mark Bunn had no chance as the ball ripped into top right corner of his net.
Town continued to pass the ball sweetly with Arfield to the fore, although he aimed way too high with his best chance on 23 minutes.
The best Blackburn could offer in the first period was a drive by Andranik Teymourian which flashed inches wide of keeper Smithies’ right hand upright.
Rovers posed more of a passing threat in the second half with Smithies punching away a couple of crosses, but Town remained on top.
Arfield supplied some nice passes as striker Theo Robinson and Pilkington fired in shots.
One long range effort that sailed over the top from sub Zac Aley summed up Rovers night.
Town: Smithies, Peltier, Naysmith, Gudjonsson, P Clarke, McCombe, Roberts (Carey 71 mins), Arfield, Robinson, Rhodes (Garner 61 mins), Pilkington (Croft 83 mins). Subs not used: Bennett, Kay, Goodwin, N Clarke, Simpson, Ainsworth, Ridehalgh, Chippendale, Atkinson.
Rovers: Bunn (Brown half-time), Ramm, Morris, Khizanishvili (Pearson 72 mins), Hanley, Gunning, Linganzi (Potts 69 mins), Teymourian, Blackman (Aley 69 mins), Diouf, Rigters (Branco 58 mins). Sub not used: Marrow.
Referee: John Moss (Leeds)
Att: 6,651 (away 266).
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