TONY Mowbray said ‘same again’ for the first time this season as he named an unchanged side for the win at Fleetwood Town.

The Rovers boss said the impressive display against Shrewsbury Tow seven days earlier prompted him to make that call, but the new additions to his squad now provide him with some selection headaches in the forthcoming weeks.

January signings Adam Armstrong and Jack Payne were used off the bench, while Amari’i Bell watched on from the stands against his former side after agreeing his move to Ewood Park on Friday.

Mowbray once again went with Dominic Samuel and Craig Conway flanking Danny Graham with Bradley Dack tucked in behind, but he knows that there are now several different combinations he can go with.

“Ultimately that was the call, they did so well,” Mowbray explained of his decision.

“Armstrong has that attacking threat and one game I will play with those four attacking goal threats in that diamond and hope behind the ball we can be really good and keep feeding them.

“We have lots of options in there.

“We have (Marcus) Antonsson still to get fit, and he’s shown that he can he can play off both the left and the right.

“As I’ve said in the past you might need a (Elliott) Bennett or Conway out wide to nullify the threat of an opposition and at times we will have to do that as well.”

Mowbray has favoured using what he describes as a ‘wide striker’ following the injury to Harry Chapman which has sidelined him since October.

Samuel has started the last two games out wide, while Armstrong’s two substitute outings have come on the left, a position Leeds United loanee Antonsson had filled prior to his injury in December.

On utilising his forward players in the wide areas, Mowbray added: “It’s just asking questions of the opposition.

“Neither want to play out there but I’ve told them to stay away from the play, teams play very narrow in this league, and we will switch the play and you can drive in to the box with the ball.

“Marcus has scored some great goals, not all necessarily by dribbling, but he’s scored some headers at the back stick, and Dominic should have scored in the opening two minutes, he’s gone one-on-one with the goalkeeper after Bradley slipped him in and he hit the side netting.

“He was a constant threat out there and kept putting them on the back foot when we gave him the ball.”

While excited by the options at his disposal, Mowbray says the performances of Graham and Dack, who scored his 11th of the season at Fleetwood, mean they remain the men to displace. 

He added: “I can see Armstrong playing off the left, Jack playing on the other side, coming inside and slipping him in behind teams if they play high up against us and it could be pretty lethal.

“Let’s wait and see.

“At this moment Danny Graham and Bradley Dack are doing fantastically well in their positions and we have to see how far they can keep going, pushing their bodies and hopefully they all stay strong.”

Payne made his Rovers debut at Highbury after joining on loan from Huddersfield Town last Tuesday.

He was involved in the winner for Richie Smallwood, and when asked where he sees the 23-year-old being utilised, Mowbray said: “He can play in those three behind the striker if that’s how we’re going to play.

“Watching him in training he hardly ever gives the ball away, he can pick wonderful passes that you don’t see but plays people in on goal, let’s see how he gets to get on.

“He’s not come here to get straight in the team and take someone’s place.

“He’s come to be involved, get a feel of what we expect from players who play in his position and wait his opportunity to have an impact on our club.”