Tony Mowbray leaned heavily on unlikely Blackburn Rovers source of goals in 2018/19 - only two players outperformed him | OneFootball

Charlie Mulgrew's unique campaign at Ewood Park saw him become a master of the set-piece situation

Charlie Mulgrew was a player whose fortunes in front of goal varied throughout his 18-year playing career, but for two seasons at Blackburn Rovers he had something of a Midas’ touch in the final third.

The former Celtic man thrived under Tony Mowbray’s management as the former Premier League Champions earned promotion from the third tier in the 2017/18 season, before taking that momentum into the following campaign back in the Championship.

The left-footed ace reached double figures for two successive seasons - the only two times he did so across the span of his playing career - and netted over a third of his total league goals during that 24-month period, such was his potency at the time.

The 18/19 campaign would prove to be his last in a blue and white shirt, but with ten goals to his name and the captain's armband round his arm, Mulgrew will always be fondly remembered at Ewood Park, as Rovers established themselves back in the second tier after falling on hard times.

Charlie Mulgrew plays his part in Blackburn Rovers' League One success

Having been part of the side that fell down out of the Championship the season before, Mulgrew had the task of rallying the troops for the season to come in League One back in the summer of 2017, and led by example for much of the season.

18 goal contributions across the campaign marked his most prolific in terms of goalscoring and creativity across his career, as the Scotland international made the most of his new surroundings to right the wrongs of the year before.

The Scot had always been a threat from a dead-ball situation, and two free-kicks in the opening four league matches of the season saw him get his tally for the season up and running, with the latter of the two coming as part of a brace against MK Dons.

Mulgrew must have felt like he was on a different planet to a lot of the payers he came up against in the third tier, with five goals in four matches in the run up to Christmas underlining his side’s promotion aspirations, before grabbing a third brace of the season against Shrewsbury in the new year.

14 goals across the campaign saw Rovers earn an immediate return to the second tier, with Mulgrew and his teammates keen to keep the momentum of their successful season going as they renewed hostilities with a number of familiar foes in the Championship.

Charlie Mulgrew continues goalscoring form upon Championship return

While Bradley Dack (pictured) and Danny Graham were finding the net on a regular basis up top for Rovers with 18 and 16 league goals respectively, Mulgrew was the only other player to hit double figures for the club that season, with another ten to his name from his defensive position.

An unerring accuracy from the dead-ball saw the Scot managed to net more than Championship hitman Adam Armstrong that year, as Mowbray’s side kept up their attacking intent in the Championship.

While points weren’t always abundant, the goals were in high supply, with the end-to-end nature of matches at Ewood Park at the time making for scintillating viewing for the neutral, even if the locals didn’t always go home happy.

Carrying on from the previous campaign, Mulgrew had another brace after just four league matches of the season, with a pair of penalties earning a 2-2 draw against Reading, with his goalscoring touch showing no sign of deserting him back in the second tier.

Not content with spot-kicks and free-kicks, a goal directly from a corner earned him his third goal of the season in the first weekend of September, something he would go on to repeat twice more before the end of the campaign.

In fact, all of Mulgrew’s goals came from dead-ball scenarios that season, with five penalties, three corners and two free-kicks heading into the back of the net, making him one of the most fearful players on hand when setting up for a set-piece.

Whatever the angle, the Scot seemed to have the answer, with goalkeepers left helpless time and time again as his prowess caught them unawares, making him an invaluable weapon for the Lancashire side during his time with the club.

That wicked left foot was a fearsome weapon when it was given the chance to be unleashed, and that unique double-figure dead-ball tally will likely never be topped.