IF ROVERS show the same kind of fight for their 26 remaining Premier League games as they did this afternoon, then they will surely it won't be long before they start to climb the table.

It looked all over for Rovers when Jay Bothroyd had been sent off at the end of the first half and then Mathias Svensson had put the home side ahead. But a storming second half performance by Mark Hughes' boys saw Paul Dickov get the all important goal with four minutes remaining, a goal their play so richly deserved.

Mark Hughes made just the one change to the starting eleven that performed so well seven days earlier in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool. With Craig Short out injured due to a hamstring injury, it meant a first Premiership start since April for defender Andy Todd.

Just like the game last week, Rovers were slow starters, Norwich going straight onto the attack. From a fourth minute corner, Huckerby swung it in, Craig Fleming rose to head the ball back and Mathias Svensson rose to head the ball onto the top of the bar.

On 12 minutes a mistake by Nils-Eric Johansson nearly let the home side in, Svensson took advantage of the Swede's slip-up he fed Gary Holt arriving from the right, the ball was struck first time and it flashed inches past Brad Friedel's right hand post.

Damien Francis was next to force a save from Friedel, the former Wimbledon man skipped past Tugay and McEveley but Friedel did excellently to parry the ball behind as the shot took a deflection off a Rovers boot.

But Rovers slowly but surely got into the game, playing some neat passing approach play, but without actually threatening Robert Green's goal. In fact it took until the 38th minute for Green to make a save, comfortably blocking Jay Bothroyd's shot.

The young England goalkeeper then denied Reid with a cross/shot, but he pulled out a save from the top draw to deny Bothroyd moments later. Barry Ferguson fed McEveley on the left, his cross was deflected to Dickov who found his strike partner on the edge of the box, Bothroyd struck it well with his left foot, but Green dived full length high to his right to push the ball away.

Bothroyd's red card almost ruined it for Rovers

The next involvement by Bothroyd was to get involved in a silly tussle with Mattias Jonson near the corner flag, the Rovers striker showed his petulant side by kicking out and felling Jonson. After discussion with both linesman, referee Steven Dunn had no option but to show Bothroyd the red card. It was the fourth time this season that a Rovers man has seen red.

Rovers started brightly in the second half, with Steven Reid at the hub of all the best moves going forward, but they couldn't fashion a shot on target, and they were made to pay on 55 minutes when Adam Drury's cross from the left was nodded back by Craig Fleming and Mattias Svensson arrived to volley the ball past Friedel and into the corner of the net.

The way Rovers performed in the second half against Norwich, you would struggle to tell that they were down to ten men. The forward line of Barry Ferguson, Brett Emerton, Paul Dickov and Steven Reid were working tirelessly to try to get the game level. Dickov broke through the back line on 72 minutes when he got through his marker Charlton, but veteran defender Craig Fleming got back to deny the Scot as he was about to shoot.

Rovers were the thickness of the bar away from equalising on 79 minutes, when from a Brett Emerton corner, Nils-Eric Johansson powered a header goalwards, but it cannoned off the cross bar, the rebound fell to Flitcroft but his well-struck shot hit Paul Dickov and the chance was gone. It certainly summed up the sort of luck Rovers were having in this game.

But just when it looked like Rovers were running out of ideas, an 86th minute cross by Lucas Neill from the right found the smallest man on the pitch, and he was wearing a blue and white shirt, Paul Dickov steaming into the crowded area to head low into the corner of the net.

It was the least Rovers deserved, and the team and fans alike can enjoy their long journey home with their first away point of the season.

NORWICH: Green, Drury, Fleming, Huckerby, Holt, Jonson (sub Henderson 46 mins), McKenzie (sub McVeigh 79 mins), Charlton, Edworthy, Svensson, Francis. Subs: Ward, Mulryne, Helveg.

ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Todd, Johansson, McEveley, Reid, Tugay (sub Flitcroft 73 mins), Ferguson, Emerton, Bothroyd, Dickov (sub Stead 90 mins). Subs: Enckelman, Thompson, Douglas.

Attendance: 23,834

As ever, Rovers World will bring you all the post match reaction and match highlights on Monday.