Boss Sam Allardyce knows that Rovers missed out on the chance on closing the gap on the teams around them after conceding two late goals to only draw with Manchester City at Ewood Park on Sunday.

Rovers looked to be coasting after goals from Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts put the home side in charge, but late strikes from Sturridge and Robinho broke the fans', player's and the manager's heart.

"I feel like I've had all my Christmas presents taken from the bottom of the tree on Christmas morning," said Allardyce on Radio Rovers after the game. "That is an indicator of just how I fell at this time.

"With the position that we are in it is so cruel to be left where we are in the league table but it is a fact of life now and we have to accept it.

"Generally in the course of the three games we have now thrown away at least two points, probably four, and I thought that those three points were going to come here today and put us on a level playing field almost with some of the people slightly above us.

"But instead we've still got that distance between us, which takes another win as long as they lose, just to get back in amongst it, and that is the big challenge now."