PAUL Downing says Rovers can put down a marker by returning to winning ways at League One pacesetters Shrewsbury Town on Saturday and continue their good form away from home.

Rovers have won each of their last three away games without conceding, and will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing result in front of their own fans against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

Their winning run was ended at four games as the Dons left Ewood Park victorious, the second team so far this season to take three points from their visit to East Lancashire.

Since the opening day defeat at Southend however, things have been better on the road for Rovers, with wins at Bradford City, Rochdale and Scunthorpe United, as well as a Carabao Cup success at Coventry City.

And with another sold out travelling following of 1,500 set to make the trip to the Montgomery Waters Meadow, Downing is hoping Rovers can put on a performance for them.

“We had been on a great run beating some strong teams away from home and it was disappointing not to get the win in front of our own fans to keep that run going,” he said.

“We have a big week coming up now with three games and we will look forward to Shrewsbury.

“They have had a fantastic start, unbeaten, and it will be a good one for us to go there and try and put down a marker with another away win.

“We will take confidence from that. We have sold out our allocation again as well.  I played in the Rochdale game when the fans were amazing.

“We will give Shrewsbury respect as winning seven out of eight in the league is a fantastic start, and they will be full of confidence, so we will have to go there and put on a performance.”

Downing says the players and staff discussed last weekend’s defeat on Monday, and they will now quickly look to put that behind them ahead of the trip to face the current league leaders.

“We’ve been working hard,” Downing says.

“We discussed it in a meeting on Monday and moved on from it.

“We know what we did wrong and we can rectify in a big game coming up.”

Downing, along with fellow Rovers defender Sam Hart, took time out to watch the Community Trust’s BTEC students during their training session at the Blackburn Rovers Indoor Centre (BRIC), offering support and advice for life both on and off the pitch.

It was Downing’s first taste of the work carried out by the Community Trust since joining from MK Dons on a season-long loan deal on deadline day, and he said: “It’s great that local lads have got this facility available to them and not just the football side, but education as well.

“It was really worthwhile for me to come down having just joined the club to see how it operates.

“I hope they have learned bits and hopefully they can take things from it. It’s good for them to see that we do take an interest and we’re not just out there on a Saturday and then away.”