After a fine opening-day Premier League victory at Everton last weekend, pre-match expectation was sky-high at Ewood Park, even more so given yesterday's news of star striker Roque Santa Cruz signing a new four-year contract.

However, despite plenty of effort, and taking the lead through Jason Roberts six minutes before half-time, Rovers held their lead for barely a minute and eventually had to settle for a point after Richard Garcia's headed equaliser.

The result meant both sides maintained their unbeaten starts to the campaign but Ince, although happy with a draw in the circumstances, was left to wonder what might have been.

When asked if he was disappointed, Ince replied: "No, not at all.

"Players have been away on international duty, and the performance wasn't the best.

"I've been a player and I've been away with England many times, and it is hard to get going again.

"I had about an hour with my players yesterday, and I think it showed in the second half. We played into Hull's hands."

After proving unable to transform their significant possession into many meaningful chances, Rovers took the lead when Roberts found himself totally unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and stabbed the ball past goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

The visitors were level within a minute, however, with Garcia heading home past Paul Robinson after a good cross from Craig Fagan down the right.

"That was a disappointing aspect," said Ince. "But we did it to Everton last week so it evens itself out in the end.

"To be fair, when you go ahead, they've got to start coming out and playing and that probably opens things out for us to go further ahead.

"But to concede straight after our goal was really, really disappointing. Defensively we weren't at the races.

"Paul Robinson could do nothing about it, the header could have gone anywhere but it goes in off the post.

"But overall they deserved their point and could even have won it at the end."

Ince added: "It was an exciting game to be fair, and we're always trying to win it and make it exciting for people.

"But sometimes, and I've said this to the lads, when you're tired and you know you're tired, it's important you have a bank of four and another bank of four and be hard to beat.

"But the positive thing is that, although the lads are disappointed, if someone had said to me from Everton away and Hull at home we'd take four points, we would have. We just got it the wrong way around."

Hull boss Phil Brown admitted to being "ecstatic" with a point, although he was left to rue a couple of second-half chances that went begging which would have put the Tigers top of the table in this, their debut top-flight campaign.

"We'll not get carried away because it's only two games," Brown admitted.

"But it was one of those games where Paul (Ince) was on a high after the result last weekend, it was his first home game, he's just signed Santa Cruz on a new contract, so there was a little bit of momentum with Blackburn and it was important we got something.

"We could have gone on to win the game, and whether that would have been fair or unfair doesn't matter. We could have won it."

Brown added: "I'm ecstatic with a point, to tell you the truth. It's a great point on our travels and if we continue with that kind of passion, drive, commitment, togetherness, we'll be okay this year.

"But it does come down to that little bit of quality in the final third, which you pay a lot of money for.

"We had opportunities, one or two half-chances to turn into good chances, which they do at the top clubs, but we wasted those opportunities to a certain extent in the second half."