TONY Mowbray wants to build a Rovers team to entice the fans back to Ewood Park after attracting 27,000 supporters to the final game of last season.

Rovers host Millwall tomorrow in their first home game of the Championship season following last year’s successful promotion.

Saturday’s crowd won’t reach anywhere near that level, but Mowbray hopes his side can become one which makes the town proud.

He said: “That was a promotion celebration and a sign that the club was hopefully on the way back and moving in the right direction.

“I’m sure there are fans out there waiting to see the investment, see the team perform, and see whether we are the genuine article.

“It would be amazing to see them all turn out again, but maybe the team needs to go out and show the people what they are about for them to come back and pay their hard-earned money to watch a team that’s going to fight for every ball and every tackle.”

Rovers lost just twice at Ewood Park last season and will be looking for similarly strong home form this season as they bid to stabilise in the Championship.

And when asked if last season reignited the passion for some Rovers fans, Mowbray said: “You hope so.

“Yet a lot of these people were here in 1995 when we won the Premier League and we’re a million miles away from that.

“I’m not going to be able to change their mentality, all I will say to those people is that we’re trying to build a team which will fight for everything and when you come along we might get beaten on any given day but you’ll see a team fighting, tackling and trying to score goals right until the last whistle, not one that will capitulate or give-in and accept defeat.

“I’m not sure we can do anymore other than give them a team which plays for the club and the shirt they love and hopefully be successful along the way.”

On tomorrow’s game, the boss added: “I’m expecting a tough game but one which will need a committed performance from us.

“We’ll have to defend our box very well, be good at the nitty-gritty side of the game, second balls, and have that competitive edge and let’s see if we have the quality and culture to break them down.

“It’s a game we should look forward to.”