ROVERS picked up a well earned point against second placed Everton to ensure they'll be outside the bottom three at Christmas.

The draw against Everton, combined with preferable results elsewhere sees Rovers climb to sixteenth in the table.

The game itself was a stop-start affair, with the referee's whistle taking centre stage in a game where both defences were on top.

But Rovers were easily the better of the two sides creating the better chances, Nigel Martyn being the busier of the two goalkeepers.

Rovers started the game well, Rovers almost took the lead as early as the second minute, when from an Emerton corner, Flitcroft poked the ball goalwards but Everton defender Tony Hibbert slashed the ball off the line.

More often than not an Everton boot got in the way of a promising attack, none moreso than when Emerton and Neill combined well on the right, the Rovers defender cut in from the right and unleashed a powerful shot that Alan Stubbs just managed to deflect away.

On the stroke of half-time, Rovers went close again from a corner, this time Bothroyd saw his goalbound shot blocked in the six yard box.

As an attacking force, Everton offered little, David Moyes side being content to soak up the pressure, the only time Brad Friedel was called into action in the game was to palm aside a Marcus Bent shot from the angle.

Rovers continued to probe but without success, but the introduction of Paul Gallagher with less than ten minutes to go, on for Jay Bothroyd, almost provided Rovers with the winner.

Steven Reid and Paul Dickov exchanged passes, Reid's shot across Martyn was saved but he could only push the ball into the path of Paul Gallagher, who tapped the ball into the back of the net.

Alas the young Scot was half a yard offside when Reid hit the shot, and Gallagher's celebrations were cut short by the flag of the linesman on the near side.

Rovers continued to pressure right until the final whistle, and Brett Emerton was the width of the post away from giving the home side all three points. A high ball into the area took an age to come down, the Australian kept his eye on the ball and struck it on the volley, but a vital deflection en route saw the ball hit the post when it could have been nestling in the back of the net.

ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Short (sub Johansson 21mins), Todd, Matteo, Reid, Ferguson, Flitcroft, Emerton, Bothroyd (sub Gallagher 82mins), Dickov. Subs: Enckelman, Pedersen, Stead.

EVERTON: Martyn, Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Hibbert, Carsley, Gravesen, Osman (sub McFadden 63mins), Cahill (sub Ferguson 63mins), Kilbane, Bent (sub Watson 86mins). Subs: Wright, Yobo.

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