Blackburn Rovers may hope departing Reading FC man does not repeat Ipswich Town player's success: View | OneFootball

The 2022/23 season came to an end in somewhat agonising circumstances for those connected with Blackburn Rovers.

Having spent the campaign battling for a place in the Championship play-offs, the Ewood Park club would come up just short.

Despite a 4-3 win away at Millwall, Rovers were denied a top six spot on the final day of the season, with goal difference forcing them to settle for a seventh place finish.

That highlighted the fine margins on which the season had been decided for Blackburn, and perhaps one player who best exemplified that, was George Hirst.

Things did not work out for George Hirst at Ewood Park

Going into the 2022 summer transfer window still needing to replace Adam Armstrong after his departure 12 months earlier, Blackburn seemed to have got their man with the signing of Hirst.

The striker joined Rovers on a season-long loan from Leicester City, that included the option to buy, following an impressive spell in League One with Portsmouth the season before.

However, Hirst would never settle at Ewood Park, and failed to score in 11 appearances in all competitions for Blackburn, before being recalled in January and loaned to Ipswich Town.

Perhaps his most significant moment in a Rovers shirt was a stoppage time penalty miss in a 1-0 defeat away at Cardiff City.

Given the way the table eventually finished, that point he could've earned the club had he converted his spot kick, may have made all the difference to their hopes of claiming a play-off place.

The way that things have gone for Hirst since he left the club may only add insult to injury for Blackburn.

After moving to Ipswich, Hirst helped the club win promotion from League One in the second half of last season, before making his move to Portman Road permanent in the summer of 2023.

The striker then went onto score some more vital goals for Ipswich, as they secured a stunning second straight promotion this season, to complete their return to the Premier League.

By contrast, Blackburn spent much of the campaign fighting to avoid relegation to League One.

If however, they had been able to call upon a striker making the sort of impact Hirst has for Ipswich in the Championship in either of the last two seasons, things could have been rather different for the Lancashire club.

Now, there could be an argument that Rovers will be hoping that they are not about to face a repeat of the Hirst situation, with another one of their loanees from the 2022/23 campaign.

Clinton Mola also struggled at Blackburn Rovers

Another player signed by the Ewood Park club on loan with the option to buy in the summer of 2022, was Clinton Mola.

The defender joined from Stuttgart, and while unlike Hirst he did stay for the whole season, his impact was similarly limited.

Over the course of that campaign, Mola would manage just six appearances for Blackburn across all competitions.

His only start in the league came in a 3-0 defeat away at local rivals Burnley, in which he found things tough against a ruthless attack.

As a result, it was little surprise that Rovers did not take up their option to buy Mola on a permanent deal last summer.

With the defender then being released by Stuttgart, at the same time, the centre back has spent this season back in England, with League One side Reading.

Despite helping to keep them in the third-tier amid a backdrop of behind the scenes issues, Mola was released by the Royals this summer, having apparently turned down the offer of a new deal.

However, it appears he will not be short of interest from elsewhere, with it recently being reported that the former Chelsea youngster now has interest from numerous Championship clubs after leaving Reading.

If he does get this move, then it may be another that Blackburn find themselves keeping an eye on in the hope that, as with Hirst, they are not left wondering, "what if?"

Should Mola be able to go on and make a positive impact for a Championship club, it may be another that leaves those at Rovers feeling they were hard done by with what they were able to get out of the defender during his time at Ewood Park. Had they got that extra bit more from, those fine margins could have helped the club to secure that play-off place last season.

Admittedly, some who watched him at Blackburn will doubt if he is capable of playing in the Championship based on those performances.

But after getting a season of regular senior football in England under his belt at Reading, he may now be better equipped to take on the Championship, considering how improved as his season with the Royals went on as well.

Indeed, there were also some signs of promise during his time at Blackburn, not least with his performance in the League Cup clash with West Ham, which did suggest there was a capable option there, for this level, if that sort of showing had been produced on a consistent basis.

It is also worth noting that few around Ewood Park would have expected Hirst to have made the impact he did in the Championship for Ipswich this season. When it comes to this situation with Mola, that could be seen as a reminder that nothing is impossible.

With all that in mind, it would be no surprise if there are some at Blackburn Rovers watching what happens with Mola in the coming weeks with some interest, and a hope that they are not about to find out that they missed out on getting the most from another potentially useful asset at this level.