Tony Mowbray hopes a big impact in the last two games can be a boost to Sam Gallagher’s confidence.

Gallagher scored the equaliser in the weekend draw at Luton Town after coming off and was rewarded with a starting in the win at Preston North End on Tuesday night.

That was just a second start of the campaign for Gallagher who has endured a difficult few months after an injury disrupted pre-season.

The 25-year-old won the penalty which saw Joe Rafferty sent off as Rovers ended a five-year wait to beat North End.

And Mowbray felt Gallagher backed up his decision to start him on the right instead of Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott who dropped to the bench for the first time since signing.

A tight offside call denied him topping off his night’s work with a goal, and Mowbray said: “We know what Sam Gallagher is about, he was short on confidence a bit after coming back from injury, but he scored at the weekend and was fantastic and was very, very good again.

“If that toe-poke in the six yard box had been given it would have topped off a great night for him.”

As for the penalty incident, which saw Rafferty sent off, Mowbray added: “Sam Gallagher is fast, 6’4 and the guy chasing him was really struggling, lunged and brought him down and I don’t think it was a contentious decision, it was the right decision.

“My first impression was that he wasn’t catching Sam Gallagher and it was a pretty desperate lunge and that was the consequence, a penalty and a sending off.”

Ben Brereton has started every game on the left of Rovers’ attack, with Armstrong, who scored his 13th of the season in the win at Deepdale, having missed just one game.

Tyrhys Dolan, who netted against his former club on Tuesday, was given the role on the right in the early weeks of the campaign, with Elliott taking over since, but adding Gallagher into the mix, and Bradley Dack on his way back, Mowbray is happy with his attacking options.

“He (Gallagher) was a real physical presence and if you put him with Armstrong amazing speed and shooting power and Brereton’s trickery and ability to shift the ball from foot to foot, it’s a pretty potent frontline,” Mowbray explained.

“When you add Dack to that, Dolan, Elliott, to that, it’s hopefully going to get us through the madness of these games every three days, with not much training.

“Hopefully we can find the form that can consistently help us win football matches.”