Tony Mowbray has rued the selection inconsistency after three more players picked up injuries in the defeat at Huddersfield Town, while a fourth, captain Darragh Lenihan, limped through the closing stages.

Daniel Ayala, just back from a bruised foot, limped off in the final quarter of the game while Ryan Nyambe had to be replaced on the hour with a sore hamstring. That left Rovers finishing the game with John Buckley at right back and Bradley Johnson alongside Lenihan, just as he was for the defeat at Stoke City.

Captain Lenihan has already had four different central defensive partners this month, and with Derrick Williams and Scott Wharton now long-term absentees, it leaves Mowbray waiting for positive news on Ayala and Nyambe as he comes to select his team for Saturday’s game at Birmingham City.

Mowbray said: “Darragh Lenihan has had Ayala, Williams, Wharton and Johnson alongside him in the last four weeks and it’s not ideal. I don’t know what the backline will look like until we get the scans back of the players that came off.”

There were just 11 minutes on the clock when Tom Trybull, recalled to the side for Tuesday night’s game after missing the Sheffield Wednesday draw, was taken off, with the midfielder also to be assessed.

While Rovers have plenty of cover in midfield, with Lewis Holtby on in his place, that’s not the case at the back, with Hayden Carter’s omission from the bench leaving left back Barry Douglas, dropped for the Huddersfield Town defeat, the only recognised defensive option among the substitutes.

“You would ideally want consistency with your goalkeeper and back four, every week pick the same five players and then in front of that maybe have a protective midfield player whose part of your defensive system and after that the intensity, the cleverness and the goals have to come from the other five. That’s not been the case,” Mowbray explained.

“We’re not the only team in the country to suffer from injuries, I think all the teams are finding it tough, because we’re playing so regularly which has seen the demands and intensity increase on the footballers.

“You’re ultimately trying to balance training and improving your team with the game-time and the injuries, which makes it very hard to find a consistent eleven because you’re constantly fitting people in or playing with new combinations.”

Rovers have now conceded first in their last six games and haven’t kept a clean sheet since the 3-0 win at Preston North End in October.

Naby Sarr scored twice for the Terriers are Rovers struggle to contain the hosts’ set piece threat, the giant defender twice finding himself free inside the six yard box to score.

“The nature of the goals we conceded were poor. You have to track your runner and clear that,” Mowbray added.

“Both goals, ones a set play when we’ve got everyone back, ones a second phase of a set play with everyone back.

“The goals we’re conceding of late are very avoidable. The first one, from our perspective, is an absolute joke.

“Everyone’s got jobs at set-pieces and we spend a lot of time studying opposition set-plays and we go through it with the players.

“We show our lads the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses on video as well as who they should be picking up. Yet the first goal was a classic cross and header into the corner.

“That’s an unacceptable goal to concede because everyone should know their jobs. We should have two of our biggest men on the zonal space on the six-yard box while the others man-mark and yet their lad has nodded in a free header.

“As I’ve said to them in the dressing room, if the same people are making the same mistakes they’ve find themselves out of the team because, although they do work hard, you can’t be the guy who costs us a goal every week because you’re not doing your job.”