Tony Mowbray believes it is solely consistency holding Rovers back from taking the next step.

They again found themselves within three points of the play-offs after an unbeaten January, but back-to-back defeats to start February has sucked away that momentum.

Preston North End became the fourth team to win at Ewood this season as they took the spoils on Friday night, with Rovers unable to respond to the defeat at QPR last weekend.

That made it back-to-back defeats for the fourth time this season, as Rovers were unable to make ground on the play-off spots.

They aren’t alone, Middlesbrough, who they beat last month, as well as Stoke City and Bristol City, are part of the chasing pack who are stumbling of late. That has allowed Cardiff City, rejuvenated under Mick McCarthy to steal a march on them and climb to seventh place.

In the process, Rovers dropped to ninth, and once again face the prospect of another season of trying to break into the top six slipping away from them.

Asked what is continuing to hold this side back, and stop them from taking that next step, Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Just consistency.

“We’re more than capable of beating Preston North End, more than capable of beating QPR, of beating the teams we’ve got coming up.

“Consistency of performances, whoever plays, whatever the injuries, whoever is available.

“We have seven players injured, but that’s irrelevant really, the team is the team, they all know how we play and there’s no excuse when they don’t perform at the level that’s expected.

“They get told, and I thought the second half was much better, more like a team that I recognised, playing on the front foot, with forward passes and forward runners, pinning teams back on the edge of the box, putting balls in the box. We could have scored a few, but we didn’t.

“We have to take the defeat on the chin.”

Mowbray doesn’t feel his side are alone in that, not least this season, but it was the first half in particular which left the manager frustrated.

Speaking to the club website, Mowbray added: “Inconsistency is how football is at this moment in time. What do you want me to say regarding inconsistencies?

“We can either be really good or play like we did in the first-half.

“We’ve had spells like that this season, but we don’t see them coming or know when they’re coming, and that’s why I made changes at half-time.

“The first half was unacceptable. We didn’t get the job done in the end, so we have to make it right in the next one.”