Amari'i Bell believes his confidence is building with every performance after starting five of Rovers’ last seven matches.

The left back spot has been up for grabs since Rovers lost Greg Cunningham to a season-ending injury in October, with Bell the most natural replacement for the Cardiff City loanee.

However, Stewart Downing, Derrick Williams and captain Elliott Bennett, as well as Bell, have all been given opportunities on the left side of Rovers defence.

But having started five of Rovers’ last seven matches, and come off the bench in the draw at Huddersfield, Bell is hoping it’s his to lose for the remainder of the season.

Rovers could look to add a left back to their squad this month, but Bell says building his own confidence is key to getting the best out of him.

He said: “I have had to make sure I’m ready for when the opportunity came.

“I feel I have taken it well but am taking it game by game and just trying to keep improving.

“It has been up for grabs, me, Stewy, Derrick, Benno have all played there and I just want to try and make it my own.

“I have felt good the last three games, confident, and when you’re confident you will always play your best.

“As long as I keep on building my confidence I’m sure I’ll do my best.”

Bell has now started nine of Rovers’ 27 Championship matches, coming off the bench in another two, and has been an unused substitute on 10 occasions.

Since Cunningham’s season ending injury at QPR in October, Bell has filled in at left back in seven of the following 17 matches.

That is one more than Downing, with Bennett and Williams both playing there on two occasions.

Rovers were held to a 1-1 draw by Preston North End at their weekend and are now without a win in their last six matches.

The visitors scored with one of only two shots on target, with Rovers having had the better of the opportunities at Ewood Park, and Bell admits that was a source of frustration.

And he says they need to start tipping more tight matches in their favour if they are to close the gap to the top six.

“Any derby is going to be like that. We had to make sure we were ready and play our own game,” he added.

“They didn’t really have any chances. It was disappointing to concede, but defensively I thought we did well.

“The draws aren’t too bad, but the luck will come our way soon.

“We need to keep on doing the same things and we’ll get a few more wins.

“There are a lot of tight games, we always want to win and hope things can start going in our favour.”

Adam Armstrong struck inside three minutes at the weekend, Rovers’ ninth goal in the opening 15 minutes of league matches this season.

They have been unable to turn those promising starts in to points of late however, but Bell says they’d rather be getting their noses in front than chasing matches. We have been strong straight from the off that’s been pleasing,” he explained.

“Sometimes you can score too early, but as long as we’re scoring, that’s the main thing.

“We’re getting in the right areas.”

Bell was making his 50th start for Rovers at the weekend, two years on from signing from League One side Fleetwood Town.

He is in to the final six months of the two-and-a-half year deal he penned in January 2018, and will hope a run in the side can boost his chances of an extended stay at Ewood Park.

But before that, the 25-year-old wants Rovers’ hard work to be rewarded with points.

He said: “Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve, but you’ve got to stick at it and eventually your luck will change,.

“It’s so tight right now. We just have to keep believing, keep looking at things game-by-game and see where it takes us.”