Tony Mowbray revealed scans had given Daniel Ayala the all clear to play only for the Spaniard to pull out in the warm-up prior to the draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Ayala was named in the team, primed to make a first start since November in place of the suspended Darragh Lenihan, but didn't take to the field due to an issue with his calf.

That saw Ryan Nyambe move into the back three and Joe Rankin-Costello come in for only a second start since April at wing-back as Rovers reshuffled the pack.

It created a disruption a matter of minutes before kick-off, but one Mowbray felt Rovers handled well as they kept a fifth clean sheet in eight matches.

They dealt well with the aerial threat of Andy Carroll, despite being without both of their most experienced central defenders, with their captain out suspended and Ayala adding his name to an injury list which also includes Deyo Zeefuik who missed out with a hamstring issue.

“Daniel felt something in training (on Monday), yet I knew Andy Carroll was playing. It might have been a better move for us to play Daniel in this game rather than Darragh Lenihan who has been amazing for this football team, but the power and strength of Carroll was going to be a problem but I thought we dealt with him well,” Mowbray explained.

“We got a lot of first contacts to crosses coming in.

“It disrupted us, Ryan would have played further forward but we moved him inside one. Karlan Grant is pretty mobile and direct and Ryan’s speed and mobility helped the team so it wasn’t a disaster.

“It’s something you have to cope with and why you have a squad of players.

“It was good for Rankin-Costello to get the minutes and it was a good clean sheet.”

Ayala endured an injury-hit first season at the club following his free transfer move, but was a regular in the team before injury struck against Peterborough in November.

He was back in the squad the following month but has since had to be patient for his chance due to the form of Rovers’ back three.

It left Rovers with a young, and makeshift, backline in the absence of both Ayala and Lenihan, with Rovers having prepared to include the 30-year-old in the starting line-up.

Mowbray added: “It’s a difficult one to deal with. We talked after training, we did the whole session, we did the set plays for and against, we did some shape and where we were going to press and sit off, where we were going to play, and he did the whole session yet after training he felt it.

“We had him scanned and he was fine but in the warm-up he felt like he couldn’t perform.

“When a player tells you that you have to get on with that and that’s what we did and thankfully we kept a clean sheet.

“We worked really hard and it’s a really young team. Van Hecke, Nyambe, Wharton, the two wing-backs are young lads and it was a really young team to come here and keep a clean sheet and I’m very proud of them but we are disappointed that we didn’t find a way to nick a goal.”