Corry Evans admits he is disappointed to see the season come to an end after starting each of Rovers’ last nine matches.

And he is targeting a strong pre-season as he looks to build on his 36 appearances this term. The Northern Ireland international chalked up his 150th outing for Rovers in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Oxford.

He has been blighted by injury since joining from Hull City in the summer of 2013 and hadn’t made a single appearance under Tony Mowbray prior to last August.

But he finished the season in excellent fashion, something he wants to build on as Rovers make their Championship return next term.

“I’m actually a bit disappointed the season is coming to an end on a personal note but I will look to keep fit over the summer and come back stronger,” the midfielder told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“Obviously coming back from injury last season, I hadn’t played any football since January 2017, so it took me a bit to get going.

“But once I got my form and my fitness I started to feel good about myself.

“Pre-season is crucial nowadays for every player in every team. Individually it’s about getting focussed and fit and ready for the start of the season.

“It’s one we’re really looking forward to next year.”

Rovers secured immediate promotion back to the Championship after 96 points from 46 games saw them finish in the second automatic promotion spot.

It will be a tough challenge given the quality of opposition in the second tier next season, but Evans is excited by the prospect.

He added: “It’s going to be difficult, some big teams with big budgets, but we have a good blend of Championship experience and players wanting to test themselves at that higher level.

“We’re all really looking forward to it but will enjoy ourselves first, have a good summer and come back ready.”

Rovers overcame the pressure of being favourites for promotion by securing it with two games to spare. Mowbray’s men endured a slow start, losing four of their opening 11 matches, but responded well with just two defeats in their next 34.

And Evans, who is expected to be in the Northern Ireland squad for upcoming games with Panama and Costa Rica, said: “We were the big fish in this league. When teams came to Ewood or played against us then it was probably their biggest game of the season.

“The manager instilled into us that we had to rise to that pressure.

“I think that’s showed throughout the course of the season. We had a slow start but there were a lot of factors in that, a lot of new players as well as adjusting to the new league, because it is a league of hard graft.

“But as the season has gone on we’ve shown that we can come out on top.”