GARY Bowyer returns to Ewood Park this weekend and has praised the job that Tony Mowbray has done to steady the ship at Rovers.

Bowyer spent over a decade at Rovers including 127 games as manager between March 2013 and November 2015.

He has just passed 100 matches in charge of Blackpool having helped the club to immediate promotion back to League One via a Wembley play-off final win in his first season at Bloomfield Road.

And while he acknowledges the investment that owners Venky’s have made in backing Mowbray, he says his counterpart deserves great credit for the job he’s done.

“I have been there and know it is it’s not an easy task,” Bowyer said.

“Tony needs all the credit that’s going because he’s done a magnificent job with the players he’s brought in. They were everyone’s favourites to get promoted.

“They did ever so well convincing Tony to stay and they have backed that up, they have spent over £1million which in this league is like being Manchester City in it.

“They have invested well in the players they have and they backed Tony again in January with the addition of (Adam) Armstrong and one or two others but it’s no surprise they are up there.

“I’m pleased for Tony and the supporters because it’s been a while since they have had something to get excited about.

“But at the same time Tony will already be preparing knowing if they get promoted the owners are going to have to invest again to compete in the Championship.”

It won’t be Bowyer’s first return to Ewood Park having brought his Blackpool side for an FA Cup fourth round tie in January 2016. 

Goals from Sam Gallagher and Elliott Bennett handed Rovers progression in to round five on that occasion.

“It’s the first fixture you look for when you have been there for 11-and-a-half years,” he said.

“I have got family interest in it because the club was good to me for a long period of time.”

But proud of work he’s done with the Seasiders, and keen to follow-up impressive away wins at Wigan and Portsmouth, Bowyer told BBC Radio Lancashire: “What we achieved last season was a phenomenal to get promoted at the first attempt.

“Some of the teams we’re competing with now to keep this club in this division with events that are going on off the pitch it would be a good achievement for us but we want to concentrate on each game as it comes and get the results. The one thing in this league is that anybody can have a good at go at anybody.

“We have to try and back it up on Saturday.”