The notion of taking one step back to move one step forward is often rolled out when a team suffers the disappointment of relegation, writes Rich Sharpe. 

The word at Rovers after they dropped into League One was very much about allowing the club to press the reset button and rebuild as they prepared for a first season of third-tier football in 37 years.

And, in clinching promotion 11 months on from that fateful day at Brentford in the Championship, it has been an emphatic response to the despair of last summer.

Rovers head back to the Championship in a much better place both on and off the field, with unity in the stands. The fans have rediscovered their love for the club and the players are genuinely happy to be wearing the blue and white halves.

Rovers supporters have travelled the country following their team in droves, with club records falling left, right and centre.

An aggregate away support of more than 43,000 and average attendances creeping up at Ewood show that in this past 10 months the appetite for all things Rovers is starting to return.

Owners Venkys deserve credit for the way they have allowed Tony Mowbray to construct a team of which the fans can be proud.

They stood firm in their stance of not allowing players to leave who Mowbray wanted to keep, and the lack of talk about the club’s owners demonstrated what a successful season it has been. 

However, that shouldn’t hide the fact that it was largely down to poor decision-making and a lack of investment as to why Rovers found themselves in the third tier. History won’t be forgotten, but fans can at least begin to look forward.

With Mowbray, a manager the fans trust complicity, steering the Rovers ship and the man offering the advice, there is a greater hope for the much-craved continuity and stability.

The club had been on the slide for several years which makes the turnaround in fortunes this term even more impressive. But the hard work doesn’t stop there, with Rovers heading into what will be one of the toughest Championships for some time.

They will no longer be the big fish, their budget will not be among the top three, and while Mowbray won’t be expecting a war chest of millions, nor would that be the right way to go, the ability to spend money on players will be required.

So an important summer lies ahead. Though the Mowbray evolution is moving the club in the right direction.

Rovers’ budget this term has often been cited as a demand for success. But, as we have seen so often, League One is not the easiest to get out of, as both Sheffield clubs and Leeds United will testify.

To go on two long unbeaten runs, particularly after a stuttering start which had the doubters circling, shows the strength of resolve which Rovers have built.

Much of that comes from the manager.

While every team praises the spirit in the squad in a successful season, the feeling around the club’s Brockhall base has been one of unity from the moment the players returned last June.

Mowbray spoke then of a ‘buzz’ around the training ground, and that wasn’t just to do with new yellow training gear.

The manager deserves immense credit. His arrival in February 2017 brought a breath of fresh air and a man who speaks with honesty and integrity, values he holds dear.

Despite what Wigan boss Paul Cook may think, he never got too high after wins or too low after defeats, always keeping his emotions in check which transcended to his players.

From Bradley Dack to the kit man, the chef to the office staff, Mowbray has a respect for all who work hard at the club.

He’s taken the Rovers motto to heart, building a team with individual flair but centred around hard graft.

Indeed, Mowbray’s appraisal of promotion talked about One Rovers, from those providing the analysis clips to those arranging accommodation for the club’s loanees.

Mowbray has gained the trust and respect of the support base, characteristics they have found hard to show during a period of unrest.

He is the man they believe can bring much-needed stability, and keep any talk of the owners down the agenda.

While not at the same level, young fans will speak of Dack in the same way as those before spoke of Duff, of Shearer, of Garner.

Supporters have genuine excitement, not dread, about Saturday coming around. Memories of away days with friends old and new will be regaled in years to come.

The season may have ended with no league title, but it has brought Rovers much more than silverware.

They must now use this base to build for a brighter future.