Ben Gladwin has been sidelined for the last five months with a knee injury and admits: ‘it’s been a tough season for me’.

The summer signing from QPR is yet to start a league game for Rovers and hasn’t featured since the Checkatrade Trophy draw at Rochdale on November 7.

A knee problem has kept him out since, though the 25-year-old is hopeful of some game-time before the 2017/18 season is out.

The injury has kept him out for longer than expected, which has only added to the midfielder’s frustration, with just 11 outings in all competitions his name this term.

“I picked up a bit of a knock in pre-season, which slowed me down a bit. I started to get going again, got in the squads and then picked up this knee injury which has put me out for about five months now,” he told the club's official website.

“When I first got the injury I didn’t think it was too bad to be honest. I thought I’d be out for a month or six weeks at the most. Time went by and it didn’t quite get diagnosed properly.

“I ended up having an operation on it around Christmas time and it’s still rumbling on a little bit.

“We’re all working hard to get myself fit and fingers crossed I can get back on the pitch before the end of the season.

“I came to play football here and moved my family up as well.

“It’s not quite happened for me here at the moment but I’m just focused on getting back on the pitch soon enough and enjoying my football. This is the club to do it at.”