ROVERS boss Tony Mowbray has worked hard to bring more competition to his squad, but admits he now faces a balancing act to keep all of his players happy.

Mowbray’s deadline day dealings took Rovers’ number of summer incomings to 13, with the boss having used 20 different players in the six league games so far.

However, eight players who started the win at Scunthorpe United on Tuesday have featured in the starting XI for each of the last four games in which Rovers have picked up three points.

But Mowbray says there is a strong bond with his group that aids his quest to keep everyone happy, as well as being ready for when their chance in the team comes around.

“The competition is great, it’s good to have lots of good players, and the main thing when you’ve got that is the camaraderie, the team spirit, the togetherness,” Mowbray said.

“It’s easier to pick teams when you’re winning, we have seven or eight players who would get in most teams in this league I would think, but at this moment are sitting on the outside of it.

“It’s how you manage those players, how you get their loads to a level where if they do start they are not saying they didn’t feel sharp, or fit enough, without them feeling like they are getting punished for doing extra running all of the time.

“You have to manage them, their personalities, and keep them believing they are a knock, or a fatigue issue, away from being in the team and then they have to try and stay in the team.

“If they are sat on the bench, or in the stand, they have to stay positive and be desperate for the team to keep doing well.”

Experienced duo Danny Graham and Peter Whittingham, as well as the likes of Bradley Dack and Ben Gladwin, have had to be patient so far this season.

But with Rovers having won each of their last four league games going in to today’s fixture with AFC Wimbledon (3pm), Mowbray admits it is difficult to change a team which is doing the business on the pitch.

“The main thing is that the team is winning,” Mowbray added.

“When you’re getting beat and not playing then they want to know why.

“The defeats are just around the corner, hopefully they are a long way down the road, but they will be there somewhere and that’s the management game.

“You have to keep your players on board, keep them involved, enthusiastic and caring about the club, and it can be difficult to be sat on the bench because the team keeps winning.

“You have to keep up to 20 players believing they are a real key part of things and you have to manage their personalities as well as their fitness levels.

“They have to stay positive around the building and have good human beings, which is what makes the recruitment process so important that you recruit guys who understand football and that not everyone can play every minute of every game.”