MIDFIELDER Darragh Lenihan has called on Blackburn Rovers to bounce back from their derby defeat by halting Sheffield Wednesday’s play-off charge.

But Rovers could be without striker Tony Watt for tomorrow’s trip to Hillsborough after he came off with a groin injury in Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to neighbours Preston North End.

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Paul Lambert’s side recovered from the early loss of Watt to take the lead through the recalled Elliott Ward’s first goal for the club.

But after Ward’s centre-back partner Shane Duffy was sent off for a handball on the line they went down to their first league loss to Preston since 1979.

It means Rovers remain nine points clear of the relegation places going into the showdown with a Wednesday side who moved up to fifth with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town on the same afternoon.

Lenihan said: “We need to put this behind us and focus on Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.

“We’ll review this game, look at the video, and then put it to bed, because we have to move on. We can’t dwell on this.

“We’re just thinking about getting as many points on the board as we can. We don’t want to be looking too far above us or below us.

“We’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves and if we perform regularly week in week out we’ll get more points.”

Rovers saw Watt hobble off after just seven minutes after he injured himself in attempting to convert an Elliott Bennett cross.

The new Scotland international underwent assessment at Brockhall yesterday while the rest of his team-mates trained in preparations of tomorrow’s Owls test.

And Watt is likely to undergo a scan today to discover the extent of any damage caused.

Rovers boss Lambert said: “We’ll have to see how he is. When you come off after five minutes it doesn’t look good.

“But we’ll assess him and wait and see how he is for Tuesday.”

But Lenihan has no doubt the dismissal of fellow Irishman Duffy was the key factor in Rovers’ third defeat in four matches as up until that point they had been dominating.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21s captain, who slipped into a back three in the second half, said: “I felt we controlled the game in the first 20 minutes or so.

“We got our goal and kept going and going but then they got their break with the penalty and Duffy being sent off.

“After that it was always going to be a tough task. Preston are a good side and overall it’s just a disappointing afternoon.

“We had penalty shouts during the game and whether they were or not, I’m not sure, but the main thing in the game was the penalty for them and the sending off.

“The gaffer changed it at half-time and it gave us a little bit more joy with two up top and we held the ball up a little bit better but ultimately we just couldn’t get the goal we needed.”

Duffy will be suspended for tomorrow’s match after being shown the first red card of his career.

His place is likely to be taken captain Grant Hanley after he served a one-game ban for his sending off in the 1-0 win at Brentford before the international break.