Bradley Dack’s below-par showings at Gillingham and Bristol Rovers were of no concern for boss Tony Mowbray.

The Rovers chief sat down with Dack after those two games in which he was substituted around the hour mark having struggled with a tight hamstring.

But Mowbray never had any doubts over the 24-year-old coming back in to form as he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Peterborough United which puts Rovers on the verge of promotion back to the Championship.

The boss said of Dack: “The last two games he’s been pretty poor and we have had a good chat about it.

“His performance level, how he’s got to look after himself, but he’s a great kid.

“Why I don’t get excited when Bradley has a bad game is that I know he loves the game, loves football, is wrapped up in football matches and wants to help this club and this team and help his team-mates win football matches.

“He did that for us.”

Dack scored Rovers’ first and third goals, either side of Danny Graham’s 83rd minute header.

Graham repaid the favour with his assist for Dack’s injury-time goal in a rare occasion in which he completed the full 90 minutes.

On that, Mowbray added: “Danny is a dilemma for me because sometimes I see him at 60 minutes and he looks as he though he’s treading water, he’s not 22 anymore.

“He finds the going hard, but you feel, particularly at home, as if he’s going to score a goal, nick a goal, out physical a centre half, so we kept him on.

“We left him on and it paid dividends in the end.

“That’s why there is a consistency of selection – I have some fantastic footballers kicking their heels, not getting a game, yet in these pressure situations you have to rely on your experienced players.

“They play every week and hopefully they can get us over the line.”