Tony Mowbray saluted matchwinner Bradley Dack – but says a rekindling of his partnership with Danny Graham is a difficult balancing act.

Dack took his tally to eight for the season with a double against bottom side Barnsley as Rovers recorded a 3-2 victory.

Graham was called for from the bench yet again, his 11th substitute appearance of the season, with the score at 1-1. The 34-year-old had an impact, linking up well with Dack while Adam Armstrong looked more comfortable when switched out wide after Graham’s arrival.

Graham hasn’t now started since the defeat at QPR on October 4 when he was replaced at the break, but he has been involved at some stage in all but two of Rovers’ league games.

The striker scored 15 times last season, but has just one so far, and while he remains a key man in the squad, starts haven’t been as forthcoming.

“We are trying to find the balance of Dack in this league that’s much more athletic than League One and it’s difficult to start Graham and Dack in this league because it’s difficult to get up the pitch,” Mowbray explained.

“With total respect to Danny he’s not a sprinter and you can have Armstrong off the flank, but then you’ve only got one avenue of attack.

“And if we play Graham, Dack, Armstrong and (Sam) Gallagher you’re asking a lot of the other six.

“The story is that we won 3-2, Dack scored three goals. I love watching Dack when he gets wrapped up in the game.

“He plays like a kid in a playground and has such a natural talent. He scored the goals and helped us win the game.

“Bradley is fine, we want him to get wrapped up in the game.

“We have to play someone like Dack because he gets in the six yard box and scores goals and gets in the six yard box.

Graham was one half a double switch that also saw Stewart Downing just after the hour mark with the score at 1-1.

Downing wasn’t included in the starting line-up, with Mowbray feeling it was a game for more athleticism, despite acknowledging the 35-year-old is the best technical footballer at his disposal.

The midfielder scored one and had a hand in Dack’s winner, and has so far this season created double the chances of any Rovers player.

“Stewy Downing is our best technical footballer, I see him every day in training. Today was a running game,” Mowbray added.

“They’re very athletic, young, team and I didn’t think it was a day for Stewy Downing.

“But when the game needed his class off the bench he made the difference.

“Danny Graham, it’s about having a threat. They played such a high line and we needed some speed and mobility.
“Danny came on and gave us a platform to play off and allowed to Rothwell, Armstrong and Dack to play off him.”

Rovers conceded twice for the 11th time this season but came up with three at the other end to make it back-to-back home wins.

They are now 10 games without a clean sheet, something of a concern to the manager.

He said: “The momentum of the game swung. They’re a good team, you have to accept that.

“I think their lack of experience has cost them over the piece as they give teams problems.

“We scored three goals at home and won, but our Achilles heel hasn’t been scoring goals, it’s been at the other end.

“The amount of times we’ve scored twice and either lost or got a point. It feels as if we’ve needed to score three goals to win football matches.”