Rovers boss Tony Mowbray plans to be more adaptable this season but believes the club have plenty of exciting options within their ranks.

Reda Khadra and Dan Butterworth were part of a game-changing double switch in Rovers’ midweek win over Hull City while Ian Poveda will be available once again for tomorrow’s trip to Barnsley after injury.

With the trio added to Tyrhys Dolan and Ben Brereton, Mowbray believes a move to a more counter-attacking approach can be a way forward for Rovers having focused more on possession last season.

No team in the division has had less of the ball than Rovers so far, but Mowbray doesn’t see that as a barrier to Rovers getting the most out of their attacking options.

“I like attacking players, that’s sort of my philosophy but there’s always a balance,” he explained.

“Whoever is fit, whatever the day, we’ll try and put together a team. I talked about being adaptable this year, we will try and adapt the team and the tactics around the personnel we have available.

“If it’s raw speed to break away, we can play a bit deeper and transition into attack but if we feel it’s a team we can have a lot of the ball against we can have our technicians on the pitch.

“Play against a direct team, we can put Bradley Johnson in the middle allied by three centre-halves with Sam Gallagher up front. All of a sudden we can look like a really big, strong, powerful team on set-plays.

“We’ll just marry it to whoever we play. That’s where football is nowadays, you have to be adaptable.”

Meanwhile, Mowbray says Barnsley still hold some of the characteristics that saw them take the Championship by storm last season.

Valerien Ismael guided the Reds to the play-offs after a remarkable run of form in 2021 but after losing out to Swansea City, he left to join West Bromwich Albion, the one team to beat Rovers this season.

Markus Schopp was brought in as the Frenchman’s replacement at Oakwell, the Reds having drawn four of their opening seven fixtures.

Barnsley became renowned for their high intensity, long ball approach under Ismael, and while Mowbray has seen similarities, he says there are changes to their style for Rovers to overcome.

“Slightly, not as black and white as they were last year,” he said of tomorrow’s opponents.

“They’re trying to build from the back a little bit more, still similar shape, 3-4-3 and they have good players, (Callum) Brittain and (Callum) Styles are very good players, Cauley Woodrow scored an amazing goal in midweek, they have big central defenders.

“When I’ve watched them they’re not as black and white as last season, as you saw when we played West Brom, you know the ball is going to be played in behind your backline, you know they’re going to squeeze up to the halfway line and press the hell out of you.

“They’re not so much, but they’re still a pretty good team in this league and they’ll be a challenge for us.”

Tempers flared on the touchline on Wednesday as Barnsley drew 1-1 at Stoke City, with the respective benches embroiled in some late fracas that saw three members of staff sent off.

But Mowbray said: “It’s only emotion for your team, the passion. It wasn’t the first time there has been a scuffle on the sidelines and won’t be the last.”