One postponed fixture and some days away from full training is a break Tony Mowbray feels his players will benefit from.

Tuesday’s fixture with Swansea City was postponed on the morning of the game owing to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park.

Similar wet conditions at the club’s Brockhall training base has seen the players train less than usual outside ahead of their return to league action on Sunday. That will be eight days between matches, their longest break between matches since the November international break.

“I would have preferred to have played the game, but you wouldn’t want to have played the game on a pitch that was unplayable,” Mowbray said of Tuesday’s postponement.

“If anything it gave the players an opportunity to rest. The training ground pitches were unplayable as well so we had to take a few days off the players’ feet.

“Hopefully it’s been a mental break as well as a physical break for them and we’ll get back to work this Sunday.”

The squad is starting to have a more settled look to it, with several injured players on the verge of returning, with the main issues coming in defence where three central defenders are out injured.

Elliott Bennett is in contention to return to the fold against Middlesbrough, with Corry Evans and Joe Rankin-Costello also making strides to getting back to full fitness after their hamstring concerns.

Mowbray says selection has been tougher than ever this season, not least with the Covid absences his side were by.

“Undoubtedly, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” he added.

“As I’ve sat here and spoken about we’ve had spells with no right backs, with no left backs, with three centre halves down, mainly defensive issues we’ve had.

“(Tyrhys) Dolan burst onto the scene out of necessity really and did extraordinarily well, "We’ve had a few issues to deal with throughout the course but we’ve persevered through it."