The nature of Bournemouth’s winning goal was a frustration for Tony Mowbray, but his side’s display at the Vitaly Stadium was a positive for the manager.

Rovers twice came from behind to equalise against the Cherries, but a late strike from Arnaut Danjouma six minutes from time finally settled the game.

Mowbray’s side had looked the stronger at 2-2 as Lewis Holtby had a goal disallowed moments before Danjouma curled home the winner. The way the winger was able to cut inside and curl home was a frustration for Mowbray whose players had been shown clips of Danjouma doing something similar in pre-season.

Bradley Johnson and Adam Armstrong had scored for Rovers, either side of strikes from Jack Stacey and Jefferson Lerma for the home side.

And speaking after the defeat, Mowbray said:“I couldn’t ask any more of them in terms of work ethic, the principles of how we want to play. I thought we gave them a severe test.

“At 2-2 I thought there was only going to be one winner, but then a moment of high quality decided the game for them.

“There was plenty to be proud of, plenty of positives for us to take forward against a team much-fancied in this league, and so they should be.

“There were lots of positives for us to take forward and build on.”

Tyrhys Dolan looked lively after coming on the bench, and had a chance to score himself, but he lost the ball in the lead-up to the winning Bournemouth goal as Rovers were caught light on numbers at the back.

And Mowbray said of the third: “If you break down their third goal, it was a bit of a misunderstanding 15 yards in to their half which breaks down and the boy runs  through and has really good quality.

“We saw him score one like that against Benfica in pre-season, slipped inside on to his right foot, and that’s the one frustration that we let him slip inside on his right foot and he bent it in to the top corner.

“We’re a club trying to progress and move forward and be competitive at the top end of this league and I think we should take the confidence and belief from today that we come to Bournemouth and give them a real test.”

The introductions of Dolan and Joe Rothwell adding a spark for Rovers who were much improved in the second half and deserved to take something from what ended an entertaining affair, having started off rather cagey.

Thomas Kaminski made a fine second half stop to deny Dominic Solanke, but had little else to do, having been beaten by three fine strikes.

While Mowbray acknowledges the result was a disappointed, he felt replicating that performance over the course of the season would see Rovers push towards the top six.

“We’ve watched back Holtby’s goal, is it offside? If it is then it’s extremely marginal. That would have put us 3-2 up, they’re the fine margins, they go and make it 3-2,” he said.

“The positive is that we came here and gave a good account of ourselves and if we perform at that level then we’ll win plenty of games this season.

“We have some young players, some lads who are desperate to do well and they listen, talk on board what we’re asking, they want to be good footballers.

“I know the perception of the game s 3-2 and we didn’t get anything from it and football is about results, but I’ve always believed that the performance of a team will take you where you want to go.

“And if we perform as we did for long spells then we’ll win lots of matches and get lots of points and threaten the top six of this division.

“We have to maintain the standards, there’s no point performing well on the opening day and then dropping way off it.

“I wish the ball had fallen to Armstrong late on, rather than Corry Evans, that could have been 3-3 and I’d have been sitting here happier thinking that was a deserved result.

“We have to accept we lost a tight game.”