STORM clouds were circling Ewood Park at the final whistle but thankfully they were literal, rather than metaphorical, as Rovers moved back in to the top six with an accomplished performance and deserved victory over Portsmouth.

A disappointing return to action following the international break had seen Rovers beaten at Oldham and drop two points at home to bottom side Plymouth Argyle. Frustrations over those two displays were put aside however as profligacy against Plymouth was replaced by potency against Pompey as three excellent finishes handed Rovers victory in what were testing conditions.

Bradley Dack has started to show signs of just why Tony Mowbray was so keen him to bring him to the club and once again he looked Rovers’ most creative player. Flanked by the lively Harry Chapman on his first league start and with Danny Graham leading the line with distinction, that allowed the playmaker to float around in the central areas and make things tick.

In the opening half an hour Rovers moved the ball well, got in to some good positions, but failed to make the most of them. Richie Smallwood had seen a dipping 25-yard drive save, while Dack was denied by Luke McGee before Graham was denied on the rebound by the crossbar.

Though it was Rovers' pressing off the ball that was particularly impressive and helped lead to the opening goal. Good pressure allowed Chapman to break clear just inside the Pompey half and he picked out a neat ball to Dack who showed great composure to fire the ball in to the roof of the net.

As conditions started to become more and more difficult, it asked a different question of Rovers as to whether they could battle their way through when things started to get a bit ugly?  The answer was emphatic as good play from Elliott Bennett freed Derrick Williams and he picked out Graham, who rather than slide in Chapman, opted to go alone and found the bottom corner with a fine finish.

That central striking role is yet to be pinned down by any player, and while Graham is the most natural goalscorer at the club it was his fitness, rather than finishing, which looked to be holding him back.  But chasing lost causes, providing a target and working hard for the team, the experienced frontman looks like the most likely to lead the charge for Rovers.

Scoring the crucial goal that had so often denied Rovers so far this season allowed them to play the percentages as the conditions began to really take effect.

They were to score again which owed much to the willingness of Bennett to throw himself in to a tackle on the halfway line as it did to the desire of Craig Conway who raced on the loose ball.  Mowbray had called for the Scot to add more of a goal threat to his game in a bid to regain his place and his fine finish, lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper, showed he can do just that.

Portsmouth rarely threatened throughout, with David Raya making one real save of note in the first half to deny Kyle Bennett with the score at 0-0. This was as comfortable as it could be for Rovers who would end a disappointing week back in the top six.  To be where they are in the table, playing two fewer games than many of the sides around them and having yet to hit top stride, says much about the league as it does Rovers.

An acid test will come at Wigan in their next game, Rovers travelling to the DW Stadium 12 points behind the Latics, but with confidence of a seventh victory of the season and sixth clean sheet. Rovers need to even out what has been a season of peaks and troughs but more comfortable victories such as this will do much to lift the feeling around Ewood Park.