Bradley Dack says he and Rovers have been the perfect match for each other and believes he can realise his Premier League ambitions with the club.

Dack will bring up 100 appearances in a Rovers shirt at Reading today, just over two years on from a £750,000 move from Gillingham. He has finished as top scorer in each of his two full seasons at Ewood Park and was named League One player of the year in 2017/18.

The 25-year-old has long praised the influence of Tony Mowbray on his career and he feels the squad the boss has assembled is capable of challenging for a top six spot this season.

“To say we’ve progressed together is 100 per cent right,” Dack told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“At that stage of my life I needed a change and a new challenge.

“The best thing for me was moving away from the comforts of home and having to grow up as a person and a footballer.

“I feel I’ve done that in the last couple of years.

“Our goal is to get in to the top six and try and get promoted to the Premier League.

“We’re all pulling towards that, it would be everyone’s dream.”

Rovers chalked up a third win, and fourth clean sheet, against Millwall to move them in to the top half of the Championship ahead of today’s trip to Reading.

Dack scored the second goal at Ewood Park, having opened his account in the league at West Brom before the international break.

The attacker felt the seven points collected from the opening six games was below par, but feels Rovers are targeting a strong September to push them towards the play-off spots.

“We’re starting to enjoy it now,” he added.

“We had a tough opening six games against some teams I feel will be around the top six.

“To take seven points was under what we wanted to be one but I’ve said before we have a run on paper that we have to take a lot of points from heading in to the next international break.”

Dack’s goal against Millwall was his 39th for the club, taking him one ahead of the tally he managed during his time at Gillingham.

He scored 15 goals in his debut season at Championship level and has topped the club’s scoring charts in each of the last two seasons.

While he has operated in a central striking role at times in the last two matches, Dack has predominantly played just off the main striker.

However, the majority of his goals have come from inside the box, many around the six yard area, something Dack says comes naturally to him.

And while he acknowledges he has grown as a player during his time at Ewood Park, he added: “I think you can always practice on your finishing.

“But with regards to a lot of my goals being in the six yard box, I think I’ve always been able to be in the right place and had that since I was really young.

“There’s stuff you can practice, but that instinct is something that just comes naturally.

“I think what I’ve done in the last two years has shown that I’ve improved as a player.

“That’s down to the players we’ve got here and the manager and the staff.”

Rovers added to their squad this week with the addition of German international Lewis Holtby.

The free agent signed a two-year deal and will provide competition to the likes of Dack in the midfield area.

For Rovers to keep moving forward, Dack things signings such as 29-year-old Holtby are vital.

“You have to sign good players to progress as a club and he’s a high calibre player,” Dack said.

“We trained with him and you could see he was good on the ball, sharp and can only benefit our team.

“The competition for places as well can only be a good thing.”

So two years in to life at Ewood, does he feel an adopted northerner?

“Not quite,” he joked.“I like living up in Manchester, my missus likes it, my family like coming up to see me.

“The first couple of months were hard, I was a bit homesick, it was the first time I’d moved away, but that was gone quickly.

“From day one when I walked in and the manager spoke about the expectations and where he wants to go with this club.”