IT was the moment a poor start to the season could have turned into a desperately disappointing one.

With 87 minutes of Friday’s crunch clash with Bolton Wanderers gone, Emile Heskey should have condemned Blackburn Rovers to a defeat that would have left them in the bottom three going into the international break.

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But the Bolton striker’s goal-bound shot, after David Raya had parried the ball into his path, was miraculously cleared off the line by Shane Duffy.

When the centre-back was named as Rovers’ man-of-the-match moments later it came as no surprise.

But afterwards Duffy played down his key contribution.

“I just took a risk, took a gamble and thankfully it paid off,” he said.

“I knew their striker was going to hit it across goal. It was one of them ones so I just went on the line and got the block in.”

Duffy’s goalkeeper was more fulsome in his praise.

“It was brilliant defending by him,” said teenager stopper Raya.

“I had to go to the ball and Duffy did excellent, to be fair.”

Duffy’s last-gasp act ensured Rovers of a first clean sheet of a campaign and a point that meant they moved out of the relegation places.

But he felt they should have taken more.

“We probably should have won it at the end but, with the chance that they had, they will probably say the same,” said Duffy.

“I think we had the better chances in the game to get all three points.”

Next up for Rovers is another Sky Sports-live encounter, away to Fulham, on Sunday week.

It will be the first time they have come up against Tom Cairney since he swapped Ewood Park for Craven Cottage in the summer.

Duffy said: “They are a good team who pass the ball and it will be good to see Tom.

“But we’ve got a game plan to go out there against them and be confident we can grab all three points.”