Aynsley Pears, Blackburn’s custodian, was the victim of a shocking own goal on Sunday afternoon as his club lost 3-1 at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
In the 63rd minute at Ewood Park, Blackburn defender Dominic Hyam made a straightforward backwards pass to Pears, who should have been able to send the ball upfield with little difficulty.
Instead, the 25-year-old custodian missed his strike as he attempted to clear the ball from the box. Pears sliced his contact, and the ball bounced off the edge of his boot, away from him and towards the goal.
He tried not to use his hands to deflect the ball away from goal, but the spin from his slice sent the ball over the line, giving The Owls a 3-1 lead.
Wednesday took an early lead thanks to Josh Windass, but the Championship’s top goalscorer, Sammie Szmodics, equalised for the home team.
Marvin Johnson then gave Wednesday the lead in the 58th minute, five minutes before Pears made the critical error. The game ended with the same score, and Wednesday moved out of the relegation zone to 21st in the Championship.
The game ended with the same score, and Wednesday climbed out of the relegation zone to 21st in the Championship. Their position is far from safe, as they are only one point above the relegation zone, with West Brom and Sunderland as their last two opponents.
A win for Blackburn may have saved the home side from relegation, but Rovers are now 19th in the league, with 49 points, and two games remaining against FA Cup winners Coventry and league leaders Leicester.
Rotherham has already been relegated, with Huddersfield and Birmingham City in the other two relegation spots with 44 and 46 points, respectively.
The top of the league is similarly tight, with Leicester leading by 91 points and Ipswich now in second place for automatic promotion with 89 points.
Leeds currently sit third with 87 points, however Southampton’s loss against Cardiff City makes automatic promotion unlikely.
