TONY Mowbray wants Joe Nuttall to return to the first-team set-up in scoring mood, insisting the 21-year-old can have a part to play in Rovers’ run-in.

Nuttall captained Rovers Under-23s in the Premier League Cup win at Watford on Monday and didn’t travel with the first-team for their 2-1 win at Portsmouth last night.

That results means Mowbray’s men are just a point behind new leaders Shrewsbury Town and level on points with second placed Wigan. albeit having played more games then their promotion rivals.

Nuttall, meanwhile, has 13 goals at Under-23s level this season but is without a league start or goal since November, but having scored for the Under-23s in their win over Reading last week, Mowbray knows the striker can have an impact again at first-team level.

“We have to make sure the players on the periphery are ready,” the Rovers boss told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“It’s no good Joe sitting there on the bench, not getting on, and then I have to throw him on and he’s not kicked a ball in three weeks.

“That wouldn’t be fair on him to expect him to be really sharp and bright like he can be.

“The preference is that he plays for the Under-23s, does well, scores and then like he did in that amazing run earlier in the season he can come into our team and continue scoring.

“Sometimes when that settles down and there’s the expectation it can be difficult for a young guy but hopefully he can come back into the environment confident and scoring goals.”

Since his last league start former Manchester City youngster Nuttall has made seven substitute appearances without finding the net.

He has become a firm fixture in the Rovers squad and was rewarded with a long-term contract last month having joined in the summer following his release from Aberdeen.

Rovers have boosted their attacking options of late, following the arrival of Adam Armstrong on loan from Newcastle United.

And explaining why Nuttall was playing for the Under-23s and not the first-team this week, Mowbray said: “I think it’s a balance with giving him game-time and keeping his confidence up.

“He scored against Reading for the Under-23s and when I looked at the squad that we took to Portsmouth with (Danny) Graham, Armstrong, (Dominic) Samuel, (Bradley) Dack, there was a fair chance that he could have come and not got any game-time.

“We felt it was better to keep his confidence and belief up.”