Rovers made it five home wins in a row after a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Birmingham City at Ewood Park.

Sam Gallagher opened the scoring before Adam Wharton scored his first goal for the club just before the break.

Scott Hogan pulled one back late on but Rovers survived a nervy ending to record their third successive win in the Championship.

Jon Dahl Tomasson made three changes from the side that won against Sunderland in midweek, with Lewis Travis, Harry Pickering and Adam Wharton coming in for Sam Szmodics, Callum Brittain and Jake Garrett.

The visitors started brightly, enjoying lots of the ball in the opening stages and looking like a side who had lost just one of their last eight games.

Rovers were given an early let off when Tahith Chong was denied by the woodwork inside the opening five minutes.

The former Manchester United youngster had Thomas Kaminski beaten with a low drive across goal after some good work by Hogan, who managed to get in behind the backline.

Juninho Bacuna also tried his luck from distance moments later but his effort sailed over the crossbar.

But the hosts began to grow into the game, asking questions of the Birmingham defence down the flanks.

And it wasn’t long before they were ahead, with Gallagher slotting home from close range after getting on the end of Tyler Morton’s pinpoint cross after a well-worked move.

Emmanuel Longelo sent a dipping free-kick over the bar as the visitors searched for an immediate equaliser.

Kaminski also had to make a smart stop to tip Hogan’s effort over the bar after the forward managed to get into a dangerous area.

The ex-Aston Villa man has enjoyed a prolific start to the campaign and looked a threat during the opening 45 minutes.

Rovers then nearly handed Birmingham a chance to get back on level terms after giving the ball away in a dangerous area, but the offside flag came to their rescue as Chong was racing towards goal.

Tomasson’s men doubled their lead on the stroke of half time through Wharton’s strike. The Birmingham defence backed off and allowed the youngster to shoot, and he made them pay with a clinical finish that gave John Ruddy no chance.

The visitors started the second half strongly and Kaminski had to make another good stop to deny Hogan after he managed to beat the offside trap.

The Rovers shot stopper also managed to keep out Bacuna’s effort with his legs moments later, protecting his side’s two-goal cushion.

At the other end, Ryan Hedges had a chance to add a third but he couldn’t find a way past Ruddy from a tight angle.

Just after the hour mark, Hedges went down with an injury and was unable to continue. He was replaced by Ash Phillips.

Birmingham continued to knock on the door, with Kaminski making yet another save to keep out Bacuna’s thumping strike from distance.

Gallagher also had a chance for a second but he failed to hit the target with a first-time effort after some good play by Brereton.

The visitors pulled one back 10 minutes from time when the ball dropped for Hogan in the box and he lashed home. There was nothing Kaminski could do this time.

But the goalkeeper came to his side’s rescue one more time in the final stages, producing a heroic stop to deny substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz low to his right.

Kaminski, Carter, Hyam, S Warton, Hedges (Phillps 65), Morton, Travis, Pickering, A Wharton (Garrett 61), Brereton (Dolan 85), Gallagher (Vale 85)

Unused: Pears, Mola, Buckley