RICHIE Smallwood says moving in to the top two for the first time this season is just the first step for Rovers after his late winner handed them a win over Fleetwood Town.

Smallwood scored his third of the season six minutes from time to ensure a 2-1 victory at Highbury as Rovers went a 16th league game unbeaten.

The three points, coupled with Shrewsbury’s 2-2 draw against Doncaster, saw Tony Mowbray’s men move in to the automatic promotion spots for the first time this season.

And while acknowledging it is a milestone for Rovers to achieve, Smallwood says there is plenty of hard work ahead if they are to achieve their promotion aim.

“It’s a big thing for the whole club,” the midfielder said of moving in to the top two.

“If the end of the season was now we would be very happy but we’re under no illusions that there’s 19 games to go and 12 or 13 wins to get or thereabouts.

“We have to keep putting the wins on the board and then the points will add up and hopefully put a gap between ourselves and third.

“We’ve shown over the last 16 games that we’re hard to beat, we’re efficient, with power and we have goals in the team throughout.

“We’re hard to beat and the confidence is high being on that run but we know how hard the games will be, especially at Ewood, but we will be ready for them.”

Rovers were near to their best in a first half in which they thoroughly dominated and led through Bradley Dack’s 11th goal of the season.

But Fleetwood came back in to things after the break and levelled when Connor McAleny pounced on a rare mistake by Charlie Mulgrew.

But Smallwood fired a 25-yarder in to the roof of the net after collecting a Jack Payne pass, and describing the emotion when it went in, he said: “It was an unbelievable feeling.

“I caught it well, it swerved a bit and dipped and went over the goalkeeper.

“Sometimes you save them, but I was just pleased that it went in.

“I’m just so pleased for the lads because we dug in second half, the first half we were very good but second half we weren’t quite at it.

“I don’t what happened second half but it doesn’t matter, we got a win in the bag and that was all that mattered.

“We worked hard and I think overall over the 90 minutes we deserved it. It is a great three points.”

Payne was sent on for his debut in the second half, with Adam Armstrong and Joe Nuttall also utilised from the bench.

Rovers remain without the services of six first-team players through injury, while full-back Amari’i Bell wasn’t registered in time to play against his former side.

Smallwood is one of three ever presents in the Rovers starting line-up so far this season, along with goalkeeper David Raya and left-back Derrick Williams, but knows no-one is certain of a starting shirt at the club.

He added: “That’s what we and the manager want.

“I’m sure he will have some headaches with the squad we have and those on the bench.

“We’re a football team with an aim and whoever the manager thinks is the right 18 on the day then that’s what we have to go with and everyone will be trying to get in to that.”