Jacob Davenport has added his name to the Rovers injury list after picking up a groin injury in training.

That meant Rovers were without 11 players for the midweek defeat to Watford, as Davenport’s absence saw Corry Evans make his first start since November.

Davenport had started five of Rovers’ previous eight matches but an injury picked up in training on Tuesday saw him miss out, with fears he could now miss an extended period.

The 22-year-old has battled injury throughout his time at the club, but has established himself in the first-team set-up this season, his first start coming in the win at Birmingham City last month.

However, his absence meant Rovers were without four central midfielders, as Evans was recalled to partner Lewis Travis, with Tom Trybull, Bradley Johnson and Lewis Holtby also out.

Joe Rankin-Costello, Darragh Lenihan, Daniel Ayala, Scott Wharton and Derrick Williams were the defensive options sidelined, with Sam Gallagher and Dan Butterworth completing the injury list, with Under-23s Dan Pike and Connor McBride added to the squad to fill the nine-man bench against Watford.

“There was no Davenport, he walked off training with a ripped groin,” Mowbray revealed.

Defeat to Watford meant Rovers have now lost all five of their February fixtures so far, and end the month with the visit of Coventry City on Saturday.

The Hornets became the fifth team this season to leave Ewood Park with three points, as Rovers’ poor record against the top six sides in the division continued.

And Mowbray could sense the extra quality Watford possessed as they won for the fourth straight match to continue their push for automatic promotion.

“Watford are a good team, they’ve got some good players, all over the pitch they’ve got experience and that was evident, you could see that,” Mowbray added.

“We gave it our best shot, I thought we always looked a threat on transition, Armstrong was looking every inch a Premier League footballer, he was a real threat, I thought Harvey Elliott was really good as well and yet ultimately you could feel their quality and their threat with the power they have and the experience in their midfield.”