With nine games to go Rovers find themselves part of the chasing pack, which appears to be growing by the week, to make the top six. And with 37 games gone, isn’t this about where we expected them to be?

It could even be claimed that with the personnel available for much of 2020, it’s above expectations, with some fearing their hopes all but ended when Bradley Dack went down with a serious knee injury in the December draw with Wigan.

Rovers undoubtedly have credit in the bank, and thankfully afternoons like the sobering 90 minutes at Pride Park are few and far between. Little went right and it was a surprise it took until the hour mark for Tony Mowbray, who’s been proactive with his changes for much of the season, to make an alteration. It felt long overdue.

The warning signs of Rovers’ central duo being overrun by the dynamism of Derby’s trio of athletic midfielders were growing ever stronger, and the case in point was made when Louis Sibley thundered in a stunning strike 26 minutes in.

Midfield runners continued to go untracked, a booking to Lewis Travis not helping matters, with Graeme Shinnie exploiting similar time and space to fire goalwards, with Christian Walton only able to parry his effort in to the path of the waiting Chris Martin.

From 2-0 down it looked a long way back, and while Rovers have had issues on the road holding on to two goal leads, Derby never looked like surrendering theirs.

Rovers failed to score for just a third time on the road this season, having scored in their previous 11 in a row, and this was just a first away defeat since New Year’s Day against a Derby side who have lost just twice on home soil this term.

Since 2014, only once have Rovers been in the top six, that being after five games of last season when an unbeaten start saw them sit fifth with nine points.

They’ve had a few fleeting attempts to break in since, but so far that ceiling of seventh spot hasn’t been breached.

But time offers perspective, and after the disappointment of a missed opportunity subsides, the very fact that Rovers had the chance to break in to the top six with just nine games to go is a sign of progress.

Some may scoff at a lack of ambition, but the hand Rovers have been dealt since losing Dack to injury has been a tough one.

Ambition and expectation will grow as the Rovers squad grows stronger. Their squad when everyone is fully fit, would certainly have been so given the increasing unpredictable of what appears to be one of the weakest divisions for a while.

Corry Evans’ absence has gone under the radar, would Derby have been afforded that much space in the centre of the pitch had he been unavailable?

And without Darragh Lenihan they have always struggled, Tosin Adarabioyo not possessing the same levels of confidence without the Irishman's leadership dragging him through.

Take out the creativity of Holtby, and the goals of Dack, and they are big misses. Any side in the league would miss that quality of player.

Rovers are in there with a fighting chance still, the season is still alive, and this position would likely have been taking at the start of the season. When the January window closed without reinforcements, it definitely would have.

The fact Rovers remain in the hunt, particularly of late, is down to the fact those above them have struggled for form. Unfortunately for Rovers, that has coincided with Rovers too finding wins hard to come by.

Across the combined previous 24 games, the top six sides have strung together just six wins, and sixth spot in particular is there for anyone who can put together a decent run of form, which Rovers have shown they are capable of before.

They will move above Bristol City with victory at Ewood Park at the weekend, so another incentive, and big game, is always just around the corner.

Teams in this league rarely come out of nowhere to make the top six, there’s often a few near misses thrown in along the way, and Rovers are likely just going through the process the likes of Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Preston, Bristol City and Millwall have, and continue to.

There will be bumps along the road, and always peaks and troughs where Rovers are concerned. 

They will undoubtedly improve on last season, which is one box ticked. How much they do, and the summer recruitment, will likely determine the levels of ambition and expectation heading in to next season.

Areas to address, disappointment and an opportunity missed, but time to put those right in the remaining nine games.