TONY Mowbray is keen to add further competition to his Rovers ranks but also wants to ensure his current crop of players feel the club is moving forward.

Mowbray believes now, in a position of relative strength in the league table, is the best time in which to strengthen ahead of the January transfer window.

Reinforcing his attacking options, following the loss of Middlesbrough loanee Harry Chapman to injury, is a priority for the Rovers boss over the coming weeks.

Chapman starred in his 16 Rovers outings before a serious hamstring injury, which threatens his involvement for the rest of the season hit in October.

Mowbray hasn’t been able to source a replacement with the window shut until January but admits background work has been carried out on potential signings.

On whether things had progressed with potential targets, the Rovers boss said: “Only conversations with other clubs and managers.

“The window isn’t open yet, we have to be patient.

“No-one wants to let their best players go or see their best players move on, but we can ask some questions and see.

“A time to try and build a strong squad is when you’re doing pretty well so let’s try and do that now if we can.

“We have to show the players that are here that we are trying to build on what we have got and they have to keep building and striving to make sure they can stay in the team, and if we’re going to add a few players that they aren’t the ones that are going to get left out of the squad. We have to keep driving on.

“The more good players you have the more competition to get in the team is and they drive each other forward so let’s see if we can do that this window.”

Although teams can line-up deals in advance, players can’t be registered until January 1.

Mowbray is happy however, to stay patient in transfer dealings and admits he has a great deal of confidence in his current group.

He said: “It’s a game of conversations and negotiations and if there’s some frustration along the way then that’s part and parcel of it.

“Let’s wait and see, we are only trying to help what is a good group of players that have shown they can win football matches and if we can that would be great.

“If it becomes difficult or unrealistic then we will keep going and this group have shown they can win games and we will continue with that.”