Rovers season ticket sales have topped 9,000 as they close in on their 10,500 target.

Ewood Chief Executive Steve Waggott has been pleased with the number of new and returning fans who have signed up for the 2018/19 campaign upon Rovers’ return to the Championship.

“I think we’re up to circa 9,000 and I am aiming for 10,500,” Waggott said of season ticket sales.

“The statistics are quite interesting in terms of new supporters coming back and returning ones from the 2011/12 season. I look at all the trends of how we’re doing and I think with a few more to renew, we can hit that target.

“I’m hoping we can add to that with the announcements we’re going to make and with the targets Tony has got, which are very exciting, but the market is very competitive.

“We’ve been working hard, but players not yet coming back, the World Cup has added more complexities but as I’ve said to Tony, we’ve got to hold firm.”

And sales have gone well for tonight’s friendly with Liverpool with a crowd of around 13,000 expected for tonight’s pre-season friendly with the Champions League finalists.

Waggott added: “We’ve got over 10,000 sold. We have over 6,500 home fans and 3,500 Liverpool fans because they took their tickets off sale on Friday as they had 10 Premier League games on sale in one hit.

“We will have a big walk up from them and we’ll have a good walk-up as well so we could be at about 13,000.”

Tonight will be Rovers’ first home pre-season friendly since hosting Girona in July 2016.

And with a bumper crowd expected, Waggott is hopeful a successful matchday experience tonight could attract more fans back during the season.

“I hope they want to come and see Liverpool and then be attracted to come and watch us,” he added. “That’s the thing about this game, and the Everton one, we’re going to promote the 1875 membership, the junior membership and everything else we’ve got going on.

“It will be a transient fanbase who we want to make aware of everything the club is doing.”