Rovers claimed their first victory of the season at Hull City courtesy of Bradley Dack's fourth goal of the season.

Dack scored two minutes before the break in a first half that Rovers thoroughly dominated.

They missed several good chances in the second half as well to extend their lead, but were grateful to a late David Raya save to keep their lead in tact.

It was a second consecutive clean sheet for the Spaniard, made easier by some excellent workrate in front of him.

Fresh from his brace in the midweek cup win at Carlisle Adam Armstrong kept his place in attack in the only change from the 0-0 draw at Millwall seven days earlier.

And he looked lively from minute one as Rovers got in to their rhythm early on at the KCOM Stadium.

A few slide-rule passes around the edge of the area hadn’t found their target before Rovers went close after seven minutes.

A quickly taken free-kick allowed Kasey Palmer to drive in to the left and after his cross was palmed up rather than away by David Marshall, Dack looped a header on to the roof of the net.

The hosts goalkeeper was in the thick of the action once again seconds later. Dack was the provider this time for Armstrong, whose touch around the advancing Marshall didn’t take him quite wide enough allowing the keeper to get a vital touch.

Their battle resumed in the 10th minute as Ryan Nyambe, given a lot of space down the flank, fed the striker whose snap-shot was held on to by the well-positioned Marshall.

It was a breathless opening, with a wide open game seeing both sides committing bodies forward.

But it was Rovers who continued to have the best of the chances, the best of the lot coming with 14 minutes on the watch. Palmer was the architect, and after riding two challenges found himself clear on goal, but the sprawling Marshall was quickly off his line to deny him.

Armstrong then dragged a left-foot shot wide from the edge of the area when passing may have been the better option as Rovers enjoyed an excellent opening.

All that Hull had mustered prior to that was a Jarrod Bowen shot blocked by the head of Charlie Mulgrew, while an Angus MacDonald acrobatic effort found the gloves of Raya as Rovers failed to clear a set play.

A nasty clash of heads between Stephen Kingley and Palmer threatened to disrupt Rovers’ rhythm however. It came after a totally accidental collision as the pair jumped for a goal kick.

Palmer was able to continue, though Kingsley wasn’t quite as fortunate as he was replaced by Jon Toral.

It was an attacking change from the hosts who were buoyed on the half hour mark after a neat flick from Evandro freed Markus Henriksen. But after a driving run from the skipper, David Raya was able to watch a rather weak attempt from 25 yards wide of the post.

Rovers weren’t finding it as easy though to get Dack and Armstrong in to pockets of space, with their next attempt coming from a Darragh Lenihan volley after being found by Elliott Bennett. His shot was well struck, but always wide of the far post.

There was a fear that Rovers may not have anything to show for their first-half dominance, but that was laid to rest two minutes before the interval.

Armstrong worked the ball wide to Bennett whose inch-perfect cross found the left foot of Dack who steered in to the near post.

Rovers saw out three added minutes to take in a 1-0 advantage.

Early cards for Evans and Lenihan saw the home crowd get involved in the game for the first real time.

Their side responded, with Raya forced to save from Jackson Irvine’s shot in the box eight minutes after the re-start, while Bell did well to block a Jarrod Bowen shot at the end of a promising break.

Dack hobbled off just before the hour mark after needing treatment before as Nyambe became the third Rovers player in to the book in 15 minutes after barging in to the back of Toral.

Danny Graham was sent on, with Armstrong moving out to the wing, and that combination led to Rovers’ first sight of goal in the second half. Nyambe did well to keep the ball alive, and after Graham knocked his cross in to the path of Armstrong, the ball wouldn’t sit kindly after the striker scuffed his shot.

There was a better connection from Palmer moments later as after linking up with Bell on the left edge of the box he got a shot away which Marshall needed two attempts to save.

That was his last action of the game as he was replaced by Lewis Travis at the mid-way point of the second half.

Rovers switched to a 4-1-4-1 and had a glorious chance to wrap it up. Armstrong broke from just inside the Hull half to force a save from Marshall, with the ball running loose in to the path of Bennett. The away fans had begun celebrating, only for Bennett on the stretch to put it wide from three yards out.

It was hoped that wouldn’t come back to haunt Rovers who continued to press the hosts in to mistakes as they looked to see the game out.

They were to go close again, this time from a set piece which was kept alive by Evans. His cross was headed back across the face by Lenihan in to the path of Graham who diverted it goalwards, only to be denied by another Marshall save at point-blank range.

A scuffed shot moments later didn’t test the goalkeeper, but Graham had another sight of goal with six minutes to play. His header from a Smallwood cross fell in to his own path, with his curling effort narrowly missing the far corner.

Raya had been a spectator for most of the game but was pull off an instinctive save with two minutes to go. Nouha Dicko’s shot found the side netting which led to the corner which was whipped in, and turned goalwards by the striker who was denied by the Spaniard on the goal-line before Rovers hacked clear after a mass scramble.

Hull: Marshall, Lichaj, MacDonald, Wijs, Kinglsey (Toral, 29), Kane, Irvine, Henriksen, Evandro, Bowen (Milnkovic, 72), Campbell (Dicko, 72)

Subs: Long, Stewart, Keane, Curry

Rovers: Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Bell, Smallwood, Evans, Palmer (Travis, 67), Dack (Graham, 59), Bennett, Armstrong (Rothwell, 77)

Subs: Leutwiler, Downing, Conway, Samuel