Blackburn Rovers entered the 2014-15 campaign with their eyes set firmly on securing a place in the playoffs and perhaps ultimately earning a return to the top flight of English football.
Inconsistency was their main issue on the way to an eighth-placed finish last term, yet Gary Bowyer has struggled to rectify that problem this time around.
It was a quiet summer transfer-wise for the Lancashire outfit, with just three permanent signings and an additional trio arriving on loan to take them into the new season.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Rovers have fared in the first half of the campaign.
August
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Blackburn had the honour of kicking off the brand new season with a Friday night fixture against Cardiff City to open the campaign, and although they fell behind to the newly-relegated Bluebirds, a Tom Cairney strike saw them start with a respectable home draw.
A disappointing exit at the first hurdle of the League Cup followed courtesy of a home defeat to League One side Scunthorpe United, but they soon picked up their first victory of the campaign against Blackpool. The inconsistency that plagued them last season soon returned, however, with a 3-1 defeat to Norwich City just three days later.
They would continue alternating between wins and defeats for the rest of the month, although their 3-2 victory over Bournemouth, in which they raced into a three-goal lead inside 25 minutes, looks more impressive now considering how well the Cherries have done since. Blackburn ended the month with a disappointing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers, though.
September
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September brought with it fewer defeats for Bowyer's side, but they remained too inconsistent to stay in the playoff places for any sustained period of time. Victory over Wigan Athletic was followed by their first home league defeat of the campaign as Derby County fired another three goals past them.
A first clean sheet of the season finally arrived in their ninth game as they went to Craven Cottage and won 1-0 courtesy of a Jordan Rhodes strike. Once again they failed to build on that, however, ending the month with a draw against Watford before losing 2-0 at the hands of newly-promoted Rotherham United.
October
October was more successful for the club as they began to string together a decent run of results for the first time. They went through the month unbeaten, conceding just two goals and taking points off fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest in the process.
They did get off to a relatively disappointing start, however, failing to score for the second consecutive match in a goalless draw with Huddersfield Town that saw Rhodes miss a second-half penalty. Another draw followed, although having been reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes remaining, they did well to come away with a point from Portman Road courtesy of a late Ben Marshall goal.
They benefited from a red card in the following game as Marshall scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over 10-man and managerless Birmingham City. They made it two wins in a row for the first time this season to cap off a successful month, coming from a goal down to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at The City Ground.
November
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Their unbeaten streak survived into and throughout November as they continued to flirt with the top six, although draws prevented them from really asserting themselves among the playoff frontrunners. Rovers began with a third consecutive victory as Rudy Gestede's brace helped them to a 3-1 win over Reading, but their winning streak would not last any longer.
They appeared to be cruising towards a fourth straight success against 10-man Millwall at The Den, but they blew a two-goal lead in the final 20 minutes and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils. Gestede then netted for the fourth match in a row to rescue a point against Brighton & Hove Albion, although that will have been seen as two more points dropped rather than one gained.
They were back to winning ways after the international break courtesy of a Rhodes brace in the final 20 minutes, leading Rovers to a 2-1 victory over Leeds United, despite playing the final eight minutes with 10 men. They left it late again in their final match of the month, with Gestede making it six goals in as many games with a 95th-minute equaliser against Middlesbrough.
December
They were on the wrong end of a late goal at the start of December as Sheffield Wednesday ended Blackburn's nine-match unbeaten streak with a 93rd-minute winner at Ewood Park. They were beaten again the following week by an in-form Brentford side, condemning Bowyer's men to consecutive defeats for the first time this season.
However, they bounced back in the final match before Christmas courtesy of a Rhodes brace, taking his tally for the season up to nine as Charlton Athletic were beaten 2-0. Boxing Day brought with it a 2-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers, though, while they ended the year with a goalless draw against high-flying Middlesbrough to leave them five points off the playoffs.
Star man: Rudy Gestede
Must do better: Craig Conway
Where to strengthen in January: Midfield & back-up strikers
Position at start of 2015: 9th
Mid-season grade: B
To see Blackburn's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
Barney Corkhill
