Tony Mowbray says difficult decisions lie ahead as players return to fitness.

The manager hopes to have both Jacob Davenport and Tom Trybull available for Rovers’ trip to Queens Park Rangers this weekend, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis added to the squad after his arrival from Manchester City alongside the return of Amari'i Bell.

Davenport missed out against Luton Town with a sore hamstring, while a back spasm saw Norwich City loanee Trybull ruled out.

There was better news on the bench against Luton, with Elliott Bennett and Corry Evans included for the first time following four, and three, months out with ankle and hamstring problems respectively.

Bennett played his second match for the Under-23s on Monday, coming through 76 minutes in their win at Leicester City, while Evans played the opening 45 minutes in his first outing since the previous fixture against QPR in early November.

Bradley Dack was handed 90 minutes for Billy Barr’s side, invaluable game-time for the attacker who is still getting fully up to speed after 12 months out.

Dack made his first outing for the Under-23s at Derby County in December, but after seven appearances for the first-team, two of which were starts, he was back building his fitness with the Rovers youngsters.  

Bradley Johnson, Daniel Ayala and Joe Rankin-Costello are pushing to return to first-team action themselves later this month, and while Rovers have been blighted by injuries this season, Mowbray anticipates tough decisions ahead as the situation eases.

There is the prospect, with the Under-23s playing Manchester United on Friday, that Evans could stay behind to boost his fitness.

He said: “We have talked about it in the past, but I’m at the stage now where I’m going to have some difficult decisions.

“Because Elliott Bennett and Corry Evans are now back available, and in the coming weeks we’ll have Bradley Johnson, Daniel Ayala, Joe Rankin-Costello again, these away trips when I put down a squad we can’t take 25 or 26 players.

“I’m going to have some difficult conversations with some senior players and there is an Under-23s game this week and do they want some game-time.

“The reality is that we’ll probably pick up an injury and the situation might not be like that when you have to leave five or six senior players out.

“It’s better to have those situations than not have enough players and me sitting here moaning we don’t have any central defenders or full backs.

“It’s a good problem to have that we have a squad that’s getting fit and in a couple of weeks we’ll be looking even stronger.”