Tony Mowbray focused on the positives of Reda Khadra’s persistence rather than his earlier misses as the Brighton loanee ended Rovers’ long wait for a goal in the win over QPR.

Khadra had missed two good openings early on, three days after seeing a penalty saved in the defeat at Sheffield United, but came up with the winning goal 13 minutes from time as Rovers ended their nine hour goal drought.

It gave Rovers only a second win in eight games, keeping them inside the play-off spots and ending a difficult February on a high, with Mowbray pleased to see the persistence of Khadra pay off to come up with the winner.

“Can we sit here and criticise him for missing chances? Maybe, because if he wants to play in the Premier League for Brighton he has to take those chances,” Mowbray explained.

“But you sit there and watch him and think ‘I wouldn’t like to play against him, because he’s so quick, tricky and powerful and has a rocket in his right foot’.

“Yet chances came and chances were missed, and that’s a growth area for him.

“I feel at this club the young players are learning and getting better, because that’s what we do.

“So when the results are like they’ve been this month I don’t get overly complicated about that in my mind because it’s about the footballers getting better at their jobs.

“If they’re good players doing the right things then we’ll win more games than we lose.”

Khadra is now up to five goals for the season and has been a regular in the starting line-up since November.

He was part of a front three including the recalled Tyrhys Dolan and Sam Gallagher, amid the ongoing absence of Ben Brereton, and while there are clear areas to improve for the German, his ability on the ball is undoubted.

“As a manager you don’t know a player until you work with them every day and they’re in your dressing room,” Mowbray added.

“Khadra is first and foremost a fantastic lad but has so much to learn out of possession.

“I’m not sure I can teach him how to dribble as fast as he does, but he has to learn about cutting off passing lines, when to jump on the man in possession, he’s learning all that with us.

“Hopefully he’ll go back to Brighton and they’ll see a much better player.

“He practices every day, the session finishes and he’s still out there working.

“He’s a kid on a journey and he’s talented enough to play in the Premier League and I’m delighted for him.”

Rovers have still only scored three goals in 2022 and remain without injured top scorer Brereton who also missed matches in January due to his international commitments with Chile.

He took on the goalscoring mantle after Adam Armstrong’s departure, with Mowbray hoping for something similar while they are without Brereton due to his ankle injury.

“Brereton filled the void when Armstrong left, someone has to fill the void of Brereton who won’t be with us for the next few weeks,” Mowbray said.

“Khadra stepped up and scored the goal, could have had a few more, but we’ll praise him for the positives rather than criticise him for the negatives.”