Back in the side and keen to regain his early season form, Bradley Johnson believes the best way of him achieving that is with an extended run of games.

Tuesday’s win over Hull City was just the second time since October that Johnson has made back-to-back starts having lost his place in the middle of the park.

The free agent summer signing was one of Rovers’ standout performers in the early weeks since arriving from Derby, starting nine of Rovers’ opening 10 games.

However, the 32-year-old has made just six starts since, despite the growing injury problems in the midfield areas.

Johnson said the performances of the team, and the make-up of his character, meant he wasn’t one to sit and moan about his situation, but feels he will reach top form again if he can put a run of starts together.

“I’m delighted to be back in the side. I started the season well and then found myself out of the team which was doing really well at the time,” he said.

“I’m not a person who will sit there and moan, especially when the team are doing well.

“I’m glad the manager has kept faith in me and has put me back in the team, so hopefully I can repay him by putting performances in and keeping my place.

“I feel that the more games I play, the better and stronger I get.

“I’ve played two games in a week and hopefully I can start again on Saturday and put another good performance in.”

An unused substitute for eight consecutive matches, Johnson made a goalscoring return to the side as Rovers beat Bristol City in December. He also claimed an assist in that game, as well as two more in the win over Hull, and hopes to keep contributing to a winning team.

But he says a lack of consecutive starts has been difficult.

He said: “It’s hard coming in and out of the team, but we have to be professional and ready when the gaffer puts us in the team.

“It’s not just myself, the boys who came into the team in midweek did that as well.

“It’s a squad game, we know that, but I want to stay in the team and play as much as I can.”

Rovers bounced back from the defeat at Fulham with three points on Tuesday night, and they head to Charlton Athletic this weekend looking to close the gap to the top six.

They do so in confident mood, according to Johnson, having run in three goals in the space of seven second half minutes to see off the Tigers.

The top half of the table is tightly packed, with Rovers looking to keep up their pursuit of a top six finish as they face back-to-back away games against Charlton and Brentford.

And Johnson says no matter what the performance, results are all important, particularly at this stage of the season.

“This time of the season, you don’t care how the results come, whether it be a 1-0 or a 3-0,” he said.

“The scoreline made things look better, but it’s important at this stage of the season to get the results and stay in and around the pack.

“Everyone is buzzing after Tuesday night, because it was a difficult game for us.

“We expected to win, but it was a tough game for us, especially at the start of the second half.

“We thankfully got the job done in the end and it was a really good result for us.”

Rovers are currently six points shy of the top six, with Johnson having plenty of experience of being at the top end of the Championship following spells with Norwich and Derby.

And he feels Rovers being in the chasing pack is a positive place to be with 14 games left.

He added: “We’re in a good position, we’re chasing the teams above us, and we know what’s at stake if we put a good run together.

“This league is the tightest it’s been for many years, so we’ll take things game by game and see if we can pick up as many points as we can.”