Ryan Hedges

From wonder goals and play-off pushes to injury woes and relegation scraps, we look back at Ryan Hedges’ highs and lows at Blackburn Rovers following the news that the winger will be moving on this summer.

Hedges headed to Ewood Park in January 2022 after catching the eye while playing for Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.

His first goal came later that year in a 2-0 victory against Watford at Ewood Park, turning home Tyrhys Dolan’s cross after a well-timed run into the box.

The wide man would go on to score four goals that season as Rovers finished seventh in the Championship, missing out on the play-offs by the slimmest of margins on the final day.

Hedges seemed to be loving his football under Jon Dahl Tomasson, who took charge at Ewood Park in the summer of 2022.

The Welshman is comfortable playing in several different roles, but Tomasson got the best out of him at right wing-back.

His performances were instrumental as Rovers made a strong start to the campaign and he was unfortunate to miss out on a call-up for the World Cup in Qatar.

Arguably, Hedges’ most memorable contribution in blue and white came at Vicarage Road the following season.

Hedges scored a memorable goal at Watford (Image: CameraSport - Rob Newell)

In the latter stages of a tight contest against the Hornets, the winger pounced on a loose ball in the box. He skipped past Ryan Porteous’ challenge with a clever piece of skill before juggling the ball towards goal and squeezing an accurate finish past Daniel Bachmann at his near post.

The moment of magic secured Rovers’ first victory at Watford in 22 years, and there were no surprises that it won the club’s Goal of the Season prize.

Relegation relief

The 2023/24 campaign was Hedges’ first experience of a relegation scrap with Rovers, having finished eighth and seventh respectively in the previous seasons.

To make things worse, he had a couple of frustrating spells out injured and only made 18 appearances in total.

The winger was forced to watch from the sidelines as Rovers, now managed by John Eustace, battled to stay in the division. They ultimately got over the line on the final day following a memorable victory at champions Leicester City.

Play-off heartbreak

The roller-coaster of emotions at Ewood Park continued the following season as Rovers found themselves in the mix for a play-off spot, although Eustace made a shock move to Derby County.

Valerien Ismael became the new boss and Hedges was a natural fit for his desired style of play, providing plenty of energy in the wide areas.

Hedges had some bad luck with injuries (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)

Once again, Rovers’ season ended in play-off heartbreak on the final day as Ismael’s side drew at Sheffield United and finished seventh.

There had been speculation over Hedges’ future but the club activated a clause in his contract to keep him around for a further year.

Injury frustration

Hedges was regularly involved last season until injury struck against Wrexham on New Year’s Day, when he suffered a leg break.

It didn’t look like the 30-year-old would play again in the campaign after he was omitted from the 25-man squad. However, other injuries in the camp freed up slots.

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Hedges returned ahead of schedule, putting his body on the line to feature off the bench against Southampton and Coventry City as Rovers battled against the drop under Michael O’Neill.

Coventry proved to be his final appearance in blue and white, and now Hedges is set to embark on a new chapter after four-and-a-half years of dedicated service at Ewood Park.