The dust may only just be settling on Rovers’ promotion campaign, but it is now under two weeks before they return to pre-season training.

The players will report to the airport to head for their week-long training camp in Austria on June 24, two months to the day since that memorable night in Doncaster when their return to the Championship was secured.

It was a week tucked away in the Austrian mountains last July which helped to forge the strong team spirit that would prove crucial in their successful promotion pursuit.

While there was plenty of fitness and tactical work, as well as a friendly at Sparta Prague, the players were given time to socialise away from the bright lights of a big city.

This time it will be in the district of Oberwart, rather than Salzburg, where Rovers will begin their pre-season preparations.

They will be under the watchful eye of Chris Rush, the club’s head of athletic performance,as the bulk of the fitness work will be undertaken.

Their international quartet, Charlie Mulgrew, Corry Evans, Darragh Lenihan and Derrick Williams, could well be given special dispensation, with their seasons having not finished until early June, and given an extra week of recovery time.

But just why will it an Austria return for Rovers again this summer?

“A few reasons really,” boss Tony Mowbray explained.

“Austria, I like the cleanness of the air and the fact you are in the mountains.

“It can be hot in Austria but it’s not Portugal or Spain hot and you can fill your lungs with good, clean air.

“You can get fit and I feel Austria is a nice environment through experience over the years of being in the part of the world.

“I like the fact you can lose yourself in a village hamlet up in the mountains and there’s nice grass pitches and the players are away from the prying eyes of a big city and you can go and work with your team and building relationship.

“When they’re sweating and working hard together that’s when the spirit of the team is developed really.”

Rovers returned to pre-season at a similar time last summer, but had two weeks at their Brockhall training base, and a friendly at Barrow, before jetting off to Austria.

The reason behind the change in approach this summer was due to a potential switching of training bases this summer.

Currently, the Senior Training Centre at Brockhall (the STC), is at the top of the hill on the entrance to Brockhall.

Further down is the Academy base, and has been the case since Mark Hughes switched sites during his time at the club.

The thinking was that players would see it as a goal, and challenge, to work their way up to the senior training base from the Academy.

There were plans to reverse that back, as it was when the sites were first opened, because of the increased number pitches at the Academy base.

That would have meant changes ongoing during the summer which may not have been finished in time for the players’ return.

Those plans have since been shelved, but did play a part in the decision making to go away in the first week of pre-season.

Mowbray added: “Initially the first week was because we were potentially planning a site change.

“We were maybe going to change sites and maybe use the Academy buildings and the work wasn’t going to be finished on time for us getting us back in pre-season.

“We have readjusted our thoughts on that and will stay at the STC.

“My initial thoughts on pre-season were to buy some more time for the work to be done on the dressing rooms and stuff but we’ve changed plans.

“I’m relaxed about it, first or second week it didn’t really matter.

“At the end of the day they have to get fit through pre-season whether it be from games or running.

“There are no pills that are going to get you ready for a 46 game season.

“You have to run, work, sweat and whether you do that in week one or week two it doesn’t really matter.

“We’re going to Austria in week one and the reason was we thought the building wasn’t going to be ready for them coming back so we decided to go away.

“The plans have changed a little bit but that’s okay.”

Rovers will return from Austria and have a week training in East Lancashire before their first pre-season friendly against Hibernian on Sunday, July 8.

That will be one of six friendlies that Mowbray’s men play before the start of the Championship campaign on Saturday, August 4.

Rovers will learn their opponents for the opening day when the fixtures are released on Thursday.

There is still a further friendly to announce to the schedule, against another Premier League side, to take the number of games in the close season to six, two of which will be played at Ewood Park as part of a more balanced level of opposition compared to 12 months ago.