Practice will make perfect for the Rovers strikers, according to boss Tony Mowbray, after seeing chances go begging over the Christmas and new year period.

Rovers have managed five goals in their last five matches, two of which have come from the penalty spot, with Joe Worrall also turning in to his own net in the defeat at Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day.

Adam Armstrong scored from the spot in the two games with Birmingham City to take his tally to seven for the season and looks the man most likely to fill the goalscoring void left by the injury to Bradley Dack.

Mowbray believes replacing the goals of 10-goal top scorer Dack will be the most difficult thing to do, with Sam Gallagher yet to hit top form since his £5m summer move from Southampton, netting three times, while £6m man Ben Brereton is struggling to break in to the side.

But with double sessions planned in training, Mowbray feels repetition will help Rovers rediscover their goalscoring touch in the final third.

Mowbray stressed that Brereton, who marked a year as a permanent Rovers player last week, needed to find the ‘hunger in his belly’ to earn a regular starting place, and after several missed chances in the Birmingham defeat, believes ‘listening more’ is key to Gallagher adding to his goal tally.

“It’s not a case of the strikers lacking confidence because nobody will top you up with confidence before a match,” the manager explained.

“You have to find and build that confidence in training by practicing and then you can take that confidence into the games.

“You have to practice and hit the back of the net in training every day and if you’re not doing the business in training, you have to stay behind and continue practicing and practicing and honing your craft until it becomes second nature.

“That’s the environment we’ve tried to create with the renovation of the training ground over the summer, so that afternoon and extra sessions can happen after the main sessions, whilst also giving the players areas to relax in, in-between those sessions.

“We just have to keep pushing that idea home, really.

“The coaching staff don’t play the through balls in or take the shots on or close down the opposition’s wingers, the coaching staff provide the assistance to do the drills where the practice for the players can be done.

“I have to say that all the staff work tirelessly in support of the players and the players need to keep going at it in order to build their own confidence.”

Mowbray made just three changes for the FA Cup defeat, but was without nine players who would have been in contention to feature, with recalls for Jayson Leutwiler, Bradley Johnson and Gallagher.

Danny Graham is expected to shake off his illness to return for this weekend’s Championship match against Preston, while Ryan Nyambe will also return to training after a hamstring problem.

Corry Evans (knee) will be assessed, as will Lewis Holtby who has missed the last three defeats following the Boxing Day draw with Birmingham at Ewood.

After a testing schedule, which saw Rovers’ squad become stretched, they now play just twice more in January after their FA Cup exit, with scheduled opponents on fourth round weekend, QPR, making it through on Sunday.

And Mowbray admits it is more the mental fatigue that his side will have to overcome as they prepare for their remaining 20 league matches, sitting four points outside the top six in 13th place.

“The team need a break after five games in 13 days in order to come back down, mentally, before we pick things up ahead of the game against Preston North End, which is obviously a big one for us,” Mowbray told the club website.

“I’ve said before that we believe that we can win any game at home and this will be no different.

“If we can get the three points by 5pm next Saturday, everything will be looking rosy, we’ll probably be a win or so away from the playoffs with 19 games remaining, so we have to stay positive.

“We’ll take the positives of controlling and dominating the ball, from the game and deal with the negatives during the week, in preparation for Preston.”