Rovers are up to fourth after an outstanding away performance at Stoke City.

Reda Khadra scored the winner seven minutes into the second half to cap what was an excellent away display to leapfrog the Potters into the top six.

To a man they were excellent, organised at the back, athletic in midfield where the outstanding John Buckley ran the show and clinical in attack as Khadra scored their first effort on target of the game.

They could have made it more comfortable in the second half but were rarely threatened bar a late save from substitute keeper Aynsley Pears.

The Rovers side showed two changes with Jan Paul van Hecke returning from suspension to take the place of the injured Daniel Ayala in the heart of the back three as Tony Mowbray stuck with the same formation as the Peterborough United. The other alteration saw Reda Khadra replace Tyrhys Dolan, who was carrying a knock, in attack.

From the off they looked comfortable in that shape, one Stoke also operated with, and began to dominate the play.

Their first chance came 12 minutes in, Scott Wharton flighting a lovely ball over the top for the run of Ben Brereton who lobbed the ball over the advancing Adam Davies only to see the ball drift wide of the post.

That was the start of a good period for football, their impressive midfield beginning to take charge as John Buckley teed up Joe Rothwell for a shot which sailed over from 25 yards out.

The home crowd were becoming frustrated by the mobility of the Rovers midfield which was proving too much for their side. The visitors running power helped them choose the right moments to press and therefore restricting the Potters’ threat.

Stoke looked to get playmaker Mario Vrancic involved in the build-up more, but Lewis Travis was doing a good job of shackling him, the Croatian trying his luck from distance during a brief moment of space but Thomas Kaminski was down to save easily.

The Rovers front two of Brereton and Khadra were looking to use their pace in behind but in testing conditions that was proving hard to utilise.

Their main threat came from the midfield, Rothwell putting a classic break together to move from the halfway line to penalty area in a flash, but he couldn’t get his effort on target.

Stoke, missing several key players to injury, suspension and injury, were finding life hard and while the play became more even as the half wore on, there was little to trouble Rovers, or indeed much by way of goalmouth action.

Most long balls forward were getting caught in the wind and gobbled up by the defenders which meant it had been hard work for the respective front twos.

The home fans demanded improvement and saw their side go close first in the second half, Romaine Sawyers taking aim from the edge of the box with Kaminski tipped around the post. From the corner, Vrancic had a shot wide which the home support were incensed wasn’t given as a corner as it looked to have come off van Hecke.

That would incense them further as Rovers scored with their next attack. Not for the first time, Buckley won possession back and the ball fell kindly for Khadra who had thought in his mind than to shoot, lashing an effort beyond the reach of Davies.

Concern for Rovers soon followed though as Kaminski was unable to continue having injured himself in the process of denying Sawyers. Aynsley Pears was quickly readied for his first outing of the season.

A chance for 2-0 followed soon after the hour, Brereton tripped after an excellent break from a Stoke corner to win a free-kick from which Rothwell’s delivery was volleyed just wide by Darragh Lenihan.

Their second change saw Dolan replace Khadra as Stoke moved to a back four and sent on Steven Fletcher and Tom Ince.

That led to a more stretched outlook to the game, Rovers shoring things up as Jacob Davenport then replaced the excellent Rothwell.

First Dolan and then Nyambe went into the book for timewasting as Rovers took their lead into the final 10 minutes, one they had a chance to double when the excellent control of Dolan matched the pass from Lenihan before the attacker eventually curled an effort over the top.

A better chance soon followed as the outstanding Buckley played in Brereton but his shot was saved by the legs of Davies.

Two more yellow cards for stopping the play being restarted, plus Kaminski’s injury, contributed to the addition of seven minutes.

Stoke were pushing bodies forward, but hadn't tested Pears until the fourth added minute when he flicked a Batth effort over the bar from an Alfie Doughty cross.

Stoke: Davies, Wilmot, Batth, Chester (Doughty, 78), Smith, Sawyers, Vrancic, Tymon, Fox (Ince, 66), Campbell, Brown (Fletcher, 66)

Subs: Bonham, Ostigard, Oakley-Boothe, Duhaney

Rovers: Kaminski (Pears, 57), Lenihan, van Hecke, Wharton, Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell (Davenport, 73), Pickering, Buckley, Khadra (Dolan, 68), Brereton

Subs: Johnson, Edun, Clarkson, Butterworth