LONDON, April 5, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Middlesbrough climbed to fifth in English football's second-tier Championship with a 2-0 win at struggling Blackburn Rovers on Friday.

There was a troubled atmosphere at Ewood Park, with angry fan protests against Venky's, the India-based poultry company that has owned Rovers since 2010.

The mood among the home support was not improved as Boro struck twice in the opening eight minutes to take full control of the game.

Tommy Conway needed fewer than 90 seconds to beat Aynsley Pears with a fine opener before a deflected strike from Samuel Iling-Junior doubled the visitors' lead minutes later.

A fifth win in seven games lifted Boro above both West Brom and Coventry and into the play-off places before the rest of the weekend's fixtures.

Only the top two teams at the end of the regular season are guaranteed a place in the Premier League, with the next four teams competing for the other promotion spot through the play-offs.

But this result meant Blackburn suffered a fifth straight league defeat for the first time since February 2021, with manager Valerien Ismael yet to win in six games since replacing John Eustace on February 25.

Blackburn's first home game since a supporters' group called for Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott, head of football operations Rudy Gestede and chief operating officer Suhail Pasha to stay away from Ewood Park -- a request rejected -- was played against a backdrop of sustained chanting in protest at the club's ownership.

Conway took his 12th goal of the season in fine style, receiving Kelechi Iheanacho's pass with his back to goal outside the area and deftly flicking it around Joe Rankin-Costello before firing beyond Pears.

Just six minutes later, it was 2-0.

Iheanacho laid the ball off for Iling-Junior on the edge of the box.

Danny Batth tried to head it to safety but instead only deflected it beyond Pears.

Only poor finishing from Boro kept Rovers in the game, with Iheanacho somehow shooting wide after being slipped in by Delano Burgzorg.