Blackburn's Colin Kazim-Richards puts pride back in Blackburn by seeing off Arsenal At the very least, the narrative around the club has shifted. Having been an object of ridicule for most of the past two years,Blackburn Rovers fans are gaining their pride again under the management of Michael Appleton. He has lost only once so far in seven games and, in managing what is his third club in the FA Cup this season, is just one game from Wembley. For their defensive organisation, Blackburn probably just about deserved to take Arsenal to a replay at Ewood Park. That they actually won the match was a fortuitous but gratefully received bonus. Blackburn, after all, had conceded seven goals on their previous visit to the Emirates and had to survive considerable pressure before Wojciech Szczesny parried Martin Olsson's shot into the path of Kazim-Richards for their winning goal. "The way the lads defended was amazing, outrageous," Kazim-Richards said. That was like scoring three or four goals. We can use this as a springboard. Appleton, who endured two administrations, 20 points worth of deductions and one relegation at Portsmouth, certainly has the perspective to savour the result on Saturday. "Inside I'm jumping up and down," he said. This is as good as it gets, especially for a young manager like myself. It was going into the lion's den, not only playing a Premier League side on their patch but the Emirates itself, the size of the pitch and the way Arsenal play. I found myself talking to myself for the last few minutes, going, "Come on, these are defining moments in people's careers." When the final whistle went it was more a relief than joy. The overriding priority might be to bridge the six-point gap to the Championship play-off places but the FA Cup has sprinkled just a little magic over Blackburn. "It captures the imagination and has given everyone a massive lift," Appleton said. Over the last 18 months, every time Blackburn has been in the media it's been for negative things. This swings it 10-fold.