John Smith's PNE Fans' Panel verdict: A night when VAR might have saved our derby bragging rights

So compared to those journeys, when I arrived at Ewood Park on Friday evening, it felt like I had just hopped over my back fence to watch a game in the neighbour’s back garden.

Similar to North End last season, our ‘friends from East Lancashire’ looked like they too had lost some of their early-season swagger.

However, although they had only won one of their last nine league matches, they were still hovering just outside the play-off places in the Championship table.

With this in mind and after two encouraging back-to-back wins – coupled with an impressive record of winning five and drawing two in our last eight visits to this venue – although derby games are unpredictable, before the kick-off I was not really expecting to lose Friday night’s game.

Last season, a last-minute diving header from Liam Lindsay had sparked some frenzied scenes from our travelling hordes of fans gathered behind the Darwen End goal.

The all-important first goal of this game six minutes before the break was also scored at the same end with a diving header.

But this time our fans had no need to worry about bruising their limbs celebrating as, unfortunately, it was scored by the opposition.

I felt the game started to go flat for us early in the second half as we struggled to penetrate our opponents’ penalty area.

While it remained at 1-0 there was always the hope that we could peg our opponents back in the second half.

The penalty which led to the home side doubling their advantage made me feel like donning a John McEnroe-style headband and shouting “You cannot be serious” at the referee, who awarded it seemingly following a clash of heads by two players jumping for a high ball in the penalty area.

For the last quarter-of-an-hour, as we went more direct, Rovers’ defence was like a collection box being constantly rattled – especially after Brad Potts had squeezed in a goal from close-range in injury time.

Shortly after, there was another ‘McEnroe moment’ for me in the dying stages of the game.

Like the former tennis player who once said “I saw chalk” after a serve had been declared out by the umpire, I was convinced that I'd seen blood when Potts was poleaxed by an elbow.

But along with around 6,500 screaming fans, my protestations fell on deaf ears.

On the journey home I was left wondering if we could have retained our lost derby “workplace bragging rights” if we could have had a second opinion from VAR on some controversial decisions by the referee towards the end of the game.