Rovers boss Tony Mowbray is holding out for help in the transfer market and treatment room in the final week of pre-season.

Sam Gallagher looks set to be the latest player back off the treatment table for the final friendly at Bolton Wanderers today, with Lewis Travis likely to shake off a bout off illness that saw him miss out against Leeds United.

A lack of transfer activity and unavailability have been the stories of pre-season for Rovers who round-off their friendlies against Wanderers following a morale-boosting draw with Leeds United following defeat at Bradford City.

First-year professionals Jake Garrett and Lenni Cirino were among the youngsters to feature at Ewood Park, with Connor McBride another young player to make an impact in the four friendlies so far.

But Mowbray said: “I have to stand here and say that I hope that’s not the team for the starting game and let’s hope we have more options and I hope we will.

“Travis will be ready, Gallagher hopefully will and Rankin-Costello won’t be far away.

“We need a little bit of help, we have to sign some players and are trying very hard to do that and it’s not easy.

“We’re putting a lot of work and calls in and I hope before the season starts we’ll have two or three players in and some other plays back.”

Mowbray is a regular at the Under-23s fixtures and several of the young players who have featured in the pre-season matches have trained with the first-team for some time.

Midfielder Garrett was among those to win praise from the manager, but he says gaining experience on loan, rather than being thrown straight in on the first-team stage would be best for them.

“No-one is giving you brownie points for playing young players,” he added.

“Let’s see if we can add some players to our group over the next few weeks and what happens with some of the young players.

“I like some of the young players but we aren’t going to achieve the goal the supporters might want with a team full of young kids.

“We might do alright and be competitive as we were against Leeds, but there wasn’t evidence we can control the game and create chances.

“Young players have to go and learn that sometimes, but I like the young players at this club, we have some real potential first-team players here and some don’t make it at Blackburn Rovers then they can have a career in the game.”