1. Tony Mowbray accepts performances haven’t been backed up with points – but believes all signs are pointing to Rovers moving in the right direction.

Defeat to Reading in midweek means Rovers have now lost four of their opening eight matches, overshadowing the three convincing victories for the Championship’s top scorers.

Mowbray’s men have won just one of their last five matches, despite their dominance in many of those games. That leaves Mowbray with reasons to be optimistic, even despite their current unavailability list which leaves them without eight first-team players for the trip to Swansea City.

The manager is maintaining belief in what he’s asking from his players, believing their attacking brand of football will pay dividends in the long run.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “That’s what I’m trying to get the team to believe, that if you keep the performance level this high then they’ll win plenty of football matches and teams will feel the quality we possess. The points total will then look after itself.

“I think there’s enough positive signs, yet I fully understand we’ve only won one in five.

“Yet the statistics are telling you that you can’t keep losing games if you’re being so dominant.”

Rovers are three points shy of the total they had at the same stage last season, with the Swansea fixture the first of three in a week before the November international break.

Mowbray feels the league will start to take shape around the 12-game stage, and knows Rovers will need to start putting more wins on the board soon.

With players to come back from injury, and new signings settling in, Mowbray is maintaining belief in the journey he’s looking to take his side on.

“You have to believe that if you keep producing a level of performance that you’re going to win games,” he explained.

“I think there’s plenty to be confident and positive about and if we can keep the performance level as high as it’s been with the injuries we’ve got, I think there’s real optimism moving forward.

“The balance of the team and the way the team is functioning there will come a time when we win five or six on the bounce because of the way the team are performing and the level they are performing.”

The four goals shipped in the midweek defeat to Reading mean Rovers, despite their four clean sheets, have conceded 11 times. But Mowbray believes the return of some key faces, including goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski, will help eradicate any defensive deficiencies.

He added: “We need to shore up certain areas of the pitch, and when certain players are back available I’m sure we’ll do that.”