Here is what you could have won.

As Tony Mowbray rightly pointed out: ‘Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve, that doesn’t matter, you have to do it and we didn’t’.

This Rovers side have promised much but under-delivered too often, the 5-2 thumping of Huddersfield Town showing us nothing that we didn’t know.

But what has gone before, somewhat took the shine off an excellent performance.

When everything is stacked in their favour, as it was here, they look an unstoppable force. 

Naïve and hapless opposition were pressed into submission, the Terriers playing into their hands with a kamikaze highline and nonsensical decision to keep playing out from the back, and with the sun on their backs, a much-improved Ewood playing surface and space to run into, Rovers ran riot.

Interestingly, they looked as much of a threat when hunting the ball down than when they had it, needing only 44 per cent possession 

They scored five, and could, and probably should, have had more. This all added to the feeling of just how much of a disappointment this second half of the season had been.

Yet this is a side who have failed to score on 13 occasions and they are yet to convince that a counter-attacking, pressing, athletic approach isn’t more effective than the possession-based style they have looked to adopt.

Rovers scored five, their top scorer hit a second hat-trick of the season, something not done by any player at the club since 1997, yet so subdued have an increasingly disenchanted fanbase become by a desperately disappointing 2021 that for some it barely registered.

The excitement of this season has long since gone.

But that’s not to say that it shouldn’t be savoured. Rovers, and Mowbray, have copped their fair share of flak this season, moments to enjoy have been few and far between to simply brush this away.

Yet equally, the wider context shouldn’t be forgotten either, this just a third win in 18 matches, back-to-back wins at home for a first time since November, and the biggest margin win at Ewood since the Wycombe win on the opening home game of the season.

There were many parallels between the two, the conditions as well as the opposition’s approach, and a Rovers striker in red-hot form to punish them.

“Ultimately we’re all disappointed, the dressing room is disappointed with the season we’ve had, how it’s curtailed away. They’re a proud bunch of lads, I enjoy working with them, but we’re all disappointed, all frustrated, all believing that we should have had more points, we all believe we should have had more points,” Mowbray added.

They are now on 53, with six more to play for, playing with a freedom that is afforded sides in their mid-table position at this stage of the season.

Reverting more to the previously 4-2-3-1 formation, the front four all played a key role in the win, three on the scoresheet, with an assist each, while Joe Rothwell had a hand in two of them.

It was his eighth minute corner that was flapped at by Ryan Schofield, who had a day to forget in the Huddersfield goal, that allowed Armstrong to head in the opener.

It was his eighth minute corner that was flapped at by Ryan Schofield, who had a day to forget in the Huddersfield goal, that allowed Armstrong to head in the opener.

After he unselfishly squared for Brereton to snatch a golden chance wide of the target, he made up for it moments later, a good run across the near post saw him guide a Sam Gallagher cross into the corner.

Then came the return of the three goal salvo in six minutes.

It was started by the quick-thinking of Lewis Travis to free Brereton down the right from a throw-in, his run and cross finished off by Armstrong.

He then took it upon himself to turn provider, his square pass thumped home by Gallagher from the edge of the box, his eighth of the season.

And then came his second hat-trick of the campaign, Brereton freeing Rothwell who put it on a plate for the striker to tuck home his third, and Rovers’ fifth, Huddersfield punished for the opening spaces they had left.

As Schofield saved an Armstrong long-ranger, his substitution felt like Rovers were showing mercy on their opponents who earlier this month shipped seven at Norwich City.

From early on it seemed a game which could be as comfortable as Rovers wanted to make it, though concerns appeared on the stroke of half time as Ryan Nyambe turned into his own net, as Josh Koroma fizzed a ball across the six-yard box.

A side who have struggled for wins in 2021 needed to regain their killer instinct, and to their credit did just that in the lead up to the hour mark which took the game well and truly away from Huddersfield.

They did find a consolation, and a fine one at that, Koroma needing only half a yard of space to bend an effort out of reach of Thomas Kaminski and into the corner.

From just one shot on target, Rovers managed to concede two, and could have scored more than the five they did, but that would be nit-picking on an afternoon where it was just nice to see them living up to the quality they have within their ranks.

In a season of over-reliance on Armstrong for goals, a player Rovers fans need to enjoy while he’s around, it was pleasing to see the contributions of Brereton and Gallagher. Even now, three and two years after their respective signings, the scrutiny on their shoulders as a result means their contributions infront of goal mean more than most given the sizeable investments in their services.

If every team set up as Huddersfield did, then Rovers wouldn’t be 15th in the league. The memo of how to shut-out this Rovers side seemingly hadn’t landed at the door of Carlos Corberan and with it, an enjoyable afternoon was afforded to the hosts.

The same freedoms aren’t likely to be afforded by Rotherham United and Birmingham City in their next two games, and those are the hurdles that Rovers have to overcome.

If ever there was a low-key five goal performance this was it. But that was a reflection of the season as a whole, not the 90 minute display.