Sondre Tronstad paid tribute to John Eustace after Blackburn Rovers earned their Championship status.
The midfielder was a constant presence in the Rovers midfield. He has probably been the finest success story of the club’s summer signings.
The 28-year-old has provided much-needed experience to a youthful squad and has been instrumental in Rovers’ success.
Tronstad praised Eustace and his coaching staff after reflecting on the battle to remain up during his inaugural season at Ewood Park.
“It’s been a crazy season, as we’ve mentioned previously. “Now that we’ve crossed the finish line, we owe a huge thanks to the gaffer,” he remarked.
“He’s been fantastic. Also, Gards (Matt Gardener) and the entire staff. I believe we’ve got five clean sheets in the previous nine.
“He informed us (in the huddle) that he was happy of our efforts and that we had performed brilliantly. We’ve had some poor results, and the Bristol City game was not what we’re used to. Apart from that game, we’ve been quite solid.
“We didn’t win as many as we wanted, but we were lot more consistent. We allowed less goals. He’s been quite significant.
“We were up and down before he came in; we needed to be more consistent to score more points and win games. That’s what he has brought in.
“His and the staff’s enthusiasm has been fantastic; we’ve enjoyed working with them.
“We shown unity and teamwork in games where we conceded. From the back to the top.
“It has been challenging at times. We have recovered from losses, as seen by our performance here.
“I’ve played a lot of games, and I’m ready for a rest. I went for a run in the box in an attempt to score my first league goal and got cramps! You should be exhausted by the end of
the season.” Staying in the Championship was critical for Rovers as a club, and the scenes in the 2,000-strong away end were electrifying.
Sam Szmodics rounded Mads Hermansen for their second, securing safety and the points on the last day.
Tronstad discussed how relieved he felt when the full-time whistle blew and how much staying up meant to the team.
“It feels amazing, and now we can rest and rejoice. Everyone understands it’s been a challenging season.
“We wanted to stay in the league because it was so important to everyone, including the supporters.
“Being able to rejoice with the fans after the game was a wonderful sensation. Everyone knew we were secure, especially as the second one went in.
“Once Sammie got around the goalkeeper, I was on my way to the supporters before the ball hit the net. That was great.
“If he had missed that one, things would have gone wrong! He’s been incredible; 27 goals, outstanding. It was a fantastic day for all of the traveling fans, who came in large numbers.
“To come here and beat the Champions was incredible. It’s reasonable to be nervous, but we’d had a nice week with a positive attitude.
“We knew what we needed to do. We demonstrated that against Leeds and are confident that we can win away from home against big opponents. We were clever even without the ball.
“I believe it is always crucial to focus on oneself in a game like this; we were aware of the scenario. As long as we did our part, we’d be alright.
“We’ve demonstrated that we can beat good teams, but we need to be consistent. That is what we missed this season. We intend to have a better season.
“We created chances and I think we deserved to win the game.”
Leave a Reply