TSV 1860 MUNICH 1 ROVERS 1

MARK Hughes' attempts to rid Blackburn Rovers of their 'bully-boy' reputation suffered an early set back in Germany as teenage striker Matt Derbyshire was sent off in this, at times, heated friendly.

Had the bookies run a book on the first Blackburn player to see red this season then they would surely have quoted long odds on it being Derbyshire, the normally mild mannered young forward who joined Rovers in a £20,000 deal from Great Harwood two years ago.

However, just 11 minutes after coming on as a second half replacement for Shefki Kuqi, that dubious 'honour' befell the spindly forward after his late lunge on Munich's Brazilian defender Rodrigo Costa sparked an ugly melee in which Garry Flitcroft and Costa appeared to trade punches.

The German referee, whose overall handling of the game was far from convincing, promptly reached for his top pocket and showed red cards to Derbyshire and Costa, an over-zealous act that infuriated Hughes and his coaching staff.

Derbyshire's challenge was late, but it was one that was born out of youthful enthusiasm rather than malice, and it probably warranted a yellow card at worst.

Instead, Costa's histrionics merely inflamed the situation and, after an unsightly stand-off between the two sets of players, there was a hostile undercurrent to the rest of the game.

That marred what had otherwise been a keenly fought contest during the previous 75 minutes.

For long spells, Munich had Rovers on the back foot as they exuded the confidence of a slick, young team that had recently claimed the notable scalps of Borussia Munchengladbach and Werder Bremen.

The German Second Division side have been back in pre-season training longer than Rovers, which explains why they looked a yard quicker in virtually every department.

This was their sixth pre-season friendly and they moved the ball around far more convincingly than Rovers, who are still finding their feet after the summer recess.

But this was exactly the kind of test Hughes was looking for at this stage in his side's pre-season preparations as his players were made to work by a Munich team that was clearly fired-up for the occasion.

Hughes paired his new signings Craig Bellamy and Kuqi together in attack for the first time, while Lucas Neill, Brett Emerton and Morten Gamst Pedersen were also given their first taste of pre-season action after being given an extra week's rest than their teammates.

However, Munich made the brighter start and Brad Friedel pulled off a breathtaking save to claw away a close-range drive from Daniel Baier.

Baier then went close again with another stinging shot that flashed inches wide of Friedel's right-hand upright.

Rovers, in contrast, offered little going forward as they struggled to provide quality service for Bellamy and Kuqi to feed off.

Pedersen had a shot blocked by home keeper Michael Hofmann, and Andy Todd somehow failed to convert a Pedersen corner from three yards out.

Hughes switched things around in the second half and the introduction of Tugay in a central midfield role gave Rovers greater attacking impetus.

However, Munich broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Bellamy conceded possession deep in his own half and Nemanja Vucicevic rode two challenges before cracking a low drive past substitute keeper Peter Enckelman.

Kuqi should have equalised eight minutes later but shot wide from a great position.

Then came the double sending off and the closing stages became increasingly fractious after that.

But just as Rovers appeared to be heading for a defeat, up popped Paul Gallagher in the area with two minutes remaining and the young Scot showed great composure to squeeze a low shot inside the base of the far post.

So Rovers have yet to hit top gear, but Hughes is happy with the way things are going, and he believes the goals will come for Bellamy and Kuqi.

He said: "They didn't have a great deal of opportunities in front of goal but they worked hard and, once the team started to get a foothold in the game, they became more of a part of it."

ROVERS (4-4-2): Friedel; Neill, Todd, Nelsen, Taylor; Emerton, Reid, Mokoena, Pedersen; Bellamy, Kuqi. Subs: McEveley (for Taylor, 43), Enckelman (for Friedel, 46), Gallagher (for Pedersen, 46), Tugay (for Emerton, 46), Derbyshire (for Kuqi, 65), Flitcroft (for Mokoena, 65), Johnson (for Bellamy, 74), Douglas (for Neill, 74) Not used: Harkins

Attendance: 2,642