TONY Mowbray felt Rovers got what they needed from the 1-1 friendly draw with Port Vale even if the Ewood chief was not overly enamoured with the performance.

Darragh Lenihan’s headed goal midway through the first half secured the draw for the visitors after Vale had taken an early lead when Charlie Mulgrew nodded into his own net.

Rovers used 21 players in Staffordshire but were missing the injured Danny Graham while Jayson Leutwiler, Sam Hart and Ben Gladwin are also nursing knocks while Paul Caddis was not deemed fit enough to feature.

And Mowbray, who started with a strong XI and a back three, felt the game was a useful workout.

He said: “It was alright. It was another hot day with a sticky pitch.

“It was a big pitch which was an important, we got the physical aspect of the game and we got more game time, everyone who was here got a game so in that context it was alright.

“It was a different type of game for us. We played against a team with big centre forwards and who bang it off the front and play off second balls which is different from what we have been playing against or how we play in training. But there are going to be teams in the Championship that play very direct as well so we have to deal with that.

“We didn’t control it as much as I wanted, particularly in the first half. In the second half we had a lot of control but no shots really.”

Rovers switched to a back four after the break but Mowbray admitted the formations were to fit around the players who were available rather than giving any hint to what might come once the Championship season begins.

He added: “I am not looking at systems, I am just trying to get the players 45 minutes or an hour.

“It was best if you have five centre backs, like we have at the moment, then it is easier for me to play three at the back and then two at the back.

“I am just giving everybody game time, I am not looking at systems or thinking of playing a particular way. We just want to give them game time in these early matches.”