The FA Cup defeat was Mowbray’s 150th in charge of Rovers (W66 D40 L44). Next month he marks three years in charge.

Five winless games is far from a crisis. He and his side have been questioned before and responded.

However, as prior to November and December's unbeaten run, they are once again finding a way of coming out of the wrong end of tight matches, whether it be through a lack of quality in the final third, or mistakes at the other end.

What this sequence of results, coupled with Bradley Dack’s injury and talks of purse-strings being tight in January has done is heightened the spotlight on Rovers’ two big-money buys.

For all his hard work, including excellent closing down which led to the penalty from which Adam Armstrong scored and Ivan Sunjic was sent off, Sam Gallagher failed to take advantage of three excellent opportunities in front of goal.

He fired wide from the edge of the area when freed by a Stewart Downing pass, and after pouncing on a loose back pass moments later, he couldn’t guide his chip over Lee Camp in to the net, a chance made harder by his touch that tightened the angle.

Ben Brereton on the other hand, jettisoned out on the wing, was replaced around the hour mark once again, his touch lacked conviction, and the impressive Kristian Pedersen had little trouble containing him.

Rovers’ testing schedule of five games in 13 days has now eased, with Birmingham’s late winner ensuring they won’t have a midweek game until February 11. That should give Mowbray and his coaching staff the time they have craved to try and adjust to the hammer blow of Dack’s injury.

Instinct and desire can't be taught, they have to come from within, but repetition can help, and one positive would be that at least players were getting themselves in to positions from which you would expect them to find the back of the net.

Armstrong looks the man most likely to take on the mantle of being the most regular source of goals. He took his tally to seven when dispatching his third penalty of the season, but still failed to hit the target from two promising openings in the second half.

He was also involved in the incident that resembled something of a comedy sketch as Rovers’ three forwards combined to somehow keep the ball out of the Birmingham net, rather than turn it home from inside the six yard box.

That somewhat summed up their afternoon in front of goal. So many hands on head moments, even Tony Mowbray wheeled away in frustration at the sight of Gallagher failing to get on the end of an Amari’i Bell first half cross that should be meat and drink to a 6’4 striker.

By the time Armstrong scored from 12 yards, Rovers, in the 30 minutes either side of half-time, had passed up four gilt-edged chances.

Dack, Danny Graham and Charlie Mulgrew shared 40 league goals last season. With one injured, another departed, and the other in and out of the side, it is a sizeable number to replace.

But for all the concerns about the top end of the pitch, it can’t be overlooked that since keeping a fourth clean sheet in six matches, Rovers have conceded eight in their next four.

There are concerns over the strength and depth of the goalkeeping department, and both full back positions, and Rovers still look a centre half light.

The opening Birmingham goal, inside five minutes, saw Rovers afford Dan Crowley too much time and space to drive at the heart of the back four unopposed before curling beyond Leutwiler.

Crowley and Gary Gardner linked up to present the latter with a shooting opportunity that he dragged wide, before Rovers began to dominate the ball much more.

Opportunities kept coming, but continued to be passed up, before Armstrong put the penalty in to the roof of the net and at that point it felt like there would be only one winner.

Playing the final half an hour against 10 men, Rovers passed and probed, but the closest they came to a possible winner was Camp spilling a Derrick Williams shot that meant he had to scramble back to turn the loose ball away.

At that point, it looked like a fourth meeting between the sides would be needed at Ewood to separate them.

Yet Birmingham were the ones who booked their place in round four. Jacques Maghoma slipped the ball in to the path of sub Jeremie Bela whose cross-shot somehow found a way in courtesy of a goalkeeping error from Leutwiler.

And so Rovers exited the competition at the third round stage for a third successive year.

Whether on the training ground, or with some fresh faces in the January window, Rovers need to ensure this season doesn’t fizzle out in the same fashion as the last.