Rovers are looking to ‘punch above their weight’ in the Championship, according to Tony Mowbray.

Defeat to Norwich City means Rovers have now lost to six of the top seven teams in the division, where Mowbray is looking to take his side after consecutive mid-table finishes.

They have a strong record against teams in the lower reaches of the table, and having beaten Wycombe Wanderers 5-0 and Coventry City 4-0 already this season, Rovers will go into the game with another newly-promoted side in Rotherham United with confidence.

The three teams relegated from the Premier League last season currently lead the way in the Championship, something that doesn’t come as a surprise to Mowbray.

As for Rovers, he said: “We’re trying to punch above our weight. We are trying to create a mentality that we should be punching above our weight and pushing towards the top six of the league.

“The reality is that we’re not in the top six of the financial structure or the depth of squad of the playing, but we’re trying to punch above our weight.

“That’s all we’re trying to do. I live with the consequences whether we’re successful or not, that’s what football is, but I could sit here and say ‘let’s be happy to finish mid-table because that’s where we are in the structure of things’.

“But the reality is that we’re trying to punch above our weight but at the moment against these top teams we’re falling down in really tight matches.”

Mowbray feels the return of some key players from injury will allow him the luxury to rotate more, with a packed schedule having seen Rovers play seven times since the November international break.

But in an unforgiving league, he added: “I understand we all get judged by the results but the games have been very marginal, we’ve come out on the wrong side of some games that we could easily have won. We have to accept that. It’s not easy (with the schedule) but you get judged by your results every week.

“I understand it’s the same for the teams at the top and they keep winning. Why is that? Well you could argue it’s because a team like Bournemouth, their wage bill is six, seven, eight times more than ours and they’ve got Premier League players and they make the difference in those games with fine margins.

“The quality and ability to make the difference on the football field is what matters and we’re giving everything we’ve got.

“We’re working immensely hard, I give huge credit to the players  who come in every day and sit in the meetings, watch back their individual clips, what they did well and didn’t, what we need to get better, and they’re all dedicated.

“We’re looking to get some players back and to get stronger when they come back over the next month or so and the options to be able to be able to rotate will be easier for us.

“Over another 28 football matches to play, we have every belief as a collective that we’re going to win lots of games. But we have to do it, starting Wednesday night. We’re trying to collect points and see where it takes us.”

Half of the side which started the weekend defeat to Norwich City didn’t train on Monday in a bid to give them the chance to recover ahead of tonight’s visit of the Millers.

Rovers will then have one full day of training before Saturday’s game at top six contenders Stoke City as the schedule continues to throw up matches in quick succession.

A seven-game unbeaten run was ended by defeat at Bristol City last week, a team who Rotherham United overcame at the weekend.

Rovers’ search for a fourth consecutive home win was ended by Norwich City at the weekend, meaning a tough run of fixtures saw them collect one point from a possible nine.

But seeing reason to be optimistic, Mowbray added: “The performance level of the team was good the other day, there was enough positivity about to show that we can win plenty of games.

“They’ve got some really good players, (Teemu) Pukki had a pretty quiet game but scored two goals, that’s what he does. You’re playing against good teams with good players.

“I don’t mess about with it, Norwich are further on than where we are, they are proving that they can hurt teams in this league.

“We gave a really good account of ourselves, the team take the confidence that if that’s the team at the top of the league then we’re not that far away.

“Yet we have to turn performances into results, we have to find a way to win matches, that’s what you have to do, we have to work hard, the individuals give the best version of themselves on the pitch and while no manager can guarantee results, you have to see if you can get the victories from the performance levels you put out.”