THIS was what most Rovers fans had expected, and the rest had hoped, life in League One would be like.

Packing out an away ground, easing to a victory cueing celebrations in the stands in what many viewed as a one year sabbatical from the Championship.

The opening third of the season was certainly mixed from a Rovers point of view, lacking consistency in both results and performances but they maintain the capabilities to mount a serious challenge.

Back in the top six, and keen to make up ground on the top two, the period before the end of the calendar year offers an opportune moment to hit form and build momentum. The victory at Bury, their eighth of the campaign, was among their most convincing.

Going in to the game against a Shakers side bottom of the league, managerless and coming in to it on the back of a public dressing down from their chairman and a humbling at the hands of non-league opposition in the FA Cup, the hallmarks of a shock were there.

A response was expected from the hosts, with a fast start always likely. And they did begin the brighter, David Raya making one smart stop from Chris Humphrey while Greg Leigh lashed a 25-yard strike just wide of the post.

But the gulf in quality between the two sides was apparent from there on in as the three standout moments of quality from Rovers were to turn this one from potential banana skin to something not far off an exhibition.

All three were provided by Bradley Dack, head and shoulders above most on the pitch. His first meaningful contribution was a perfectly weighted throughball to Marcus Antonnsson, who’s out to in run was timed to perfection as he swept the ball beyond Leo Fasan in the 12th minute.

And the game was all but finished as a contest eight minutes before the break when Dack took time to pick out a pinpoint cross which found Antonsson at the far post who nodded home his sixth of the season and moving to the top of the Rovers scoring charts in the process.

Not content with merely being the provider, Dack made it four goals in his last six outings with a fine individual strike. Taking up possession from a Derrick Williams' square ball just after the hour mark, he showed excellent body strength to hold off his marker before rifling an effort out of the reach of Fasan and in to the corner.

It means that of the last 10 goals that Rovers have scored while Dack has been on the pitch, he has been involved in nine of them. Tony Mowbray spoke after the match about adding more individuality to the Rovers squad when the January transfer window re-opens, particularly in light of the extended absence of Harry Chapman and likely with an eye on not becoming over-reliant on Dack.

When he plays well, so do Rovers. They are also at their best when they press well, something that Dack, along with Richie Smallwood and Elliott Bennett behind him, really help set the tone for. And Joe Nuttall on his first league start, a first half glaring miss apart, led the line with a maturity that defied his years, and inexperience.

Boasting the best defensive record away from home in the EFL, a few early slips aside, Rovers rarely looking like recording anything but a fifth clean sheet on their travels.

It gives them a good base to work from, with Mowbray keen to use that as a platform to allow them to be more free-flowing on the road. In truth here, even before Dack registered Rovers' third, Bury's lack of penetration in a second half and Rovers' determination not to be denied a clean sheet meant this was as routine as they come.

Tougher tests lie in wait, but Rovers are back up and running.