According to The Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn Rovers forward Danny Graham has apologised to the fans that travelled to watch his side fall to Preston North End on Saturday. 

The Rovers succumbed to a 4-1 loss against a Preston side that are in the lower half of the Championship table, and Graham- who started on the bench- was clearly not happy with the performance.

The player apologised for the team's lack of intensity against their local rivals, and vowed that they will learn from defeat.

The significant thing about this apology is that Graham, and all Rovers players and fans, will know that this was a chance spurned by the club to keep the pressure on the top six in the league. With a victory, Blackburn would be in eighth place with 29 points, only two points behind sixth place Derby. The Rovers were in decent form going into the game, having lost only one of their past six games, including an impressive victory over high-flyers Leeds. The expectation would have been high going into the game on Saturday, and that is why it must be all the more disappointing for all involved with Blackburn.

Nonetheless, the expectation that Blackburn Rovers now have, and the subsequent apologies from their players, is an indication of how far the club have come this season. Being a newly promoted team, their ambition may have been a bit lower at the beginning of the season, but they are increasingly proving doubters wrong, and despite the loss, remain in touching distance to the top six, which is an impressive feat.