TONY Mowbray wants Blackburn Rovers to embrace the pressure of being favourites for promotion and hopes future signings will only add to the expectation.

Rovers have been installed as favourites to lift the League One title having brought in a number of high-profile signings so far this summer.

Mowbray is looking to bring in further signings, particularly in attack, as he looks to build a squad capable of launching a challenge for immediate promotion back to the Championship.

And the favourites tag isn’t one that concerns the head coach.

“We don’t mind pressure – I spoke to them on day one of pre-season and said let’s have a bit of pressure,” Mowbray said.

“If you are a big club, as we are in this league, we have to deal with pressure.

“We are expected to win football games, that’s ok, we don’t mind that.

“I want us to have that mentality of dealing with the pressure of being one of the biggest clubs in the league but we know how tough it’s going to be.

“Hopefully the signings we bring in will add even more pressure because hopefully they will be good players that can get the job done for us.”

Mowbray is well aware of the challenges Rovers will face in League One.

His Coventry side were flying high at the top of the third tier in the first half of the 2015/16 season, but fell away after the turn of the calendar year and missed out on a play-off spot altogether.

And he added: “As I’ve also stressed to them it’s a very tough league, an attritional league, a lot of goals scored from set plays, a lot of big players, and I’ve talked about the pitches which aren’t great in the winter because teams don’t have the money to put lights on the pitches to keep the grass going.

“There will be some muddy pitches, the floodlights aren’t quite of the same standard as the Championship, it can get a bit dark at some of the grounds you go to, so I’m trying to create an image for them that it will be a tough, tough season.

“The message to the supporters is that we won’t win every game.

“There will be defeats along the way, you look at Newcastle United last year, everyone thought they were going to roll through the Championship and they ended up losing 10 games.

“You have to be able to bounce back and win the next one, but you will suffer setbacks along the way.”

Rovers kick off their pre-season fixture programme with a trip to National League side Barrow on Saturday.

Mowbray and his squad will travel to Cumbria for the match at the Furness Building Society Stadium, with kick-off at 3pm.

Admission prices are £10 for adults, £6 for over-65s and 18-22-year-olds, £2 for juniors aged 12-17 and Under-12s go free.

No tickets will be available in advance and Rovers fans should enter the stadium via the E & F away turnstiles for both the terrace and seated sections.