Jon Dahl Tomasson has challenged Harry Leonard to not be the 'nice guy' as he looks to earn an extended run in the Blackburn Rovers team.

Tyrhys Dolan has been Tomasson's preferred option down the middle for the last month but is now facing eight weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury. Leonard came off the bench to replace him in midweek, scored, and is expected to lead the line against Sheffield Wednesday.

The 20-year-old has three goals this season and enjoyed a consistent run in the team in August and September. A calf injury ruled him out for a month and since then, he hasn't started a Championship match.

With Niall Ennis also out injured, Leonard and Semir Telalovic will be fighting for the starting berth in a busy run of games during December. Rovers have seven fixtures, including games with Leeds United, Southampton and Hull City, who all occupy the Championship top-six.

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Tomasson believes Leonard has very high potential and has targeted him to prove he can handle the rough and tumble of the Championship in the next run of matches. 

"I think Harry came in and did well, especially in the second half," Tomasson said. "He was playing well and got injured at Ipswich away.

"It's difficult to get up to speed in this tough league. We know he has great potential, a young boy who can score goals, link up play and do the right things.

"He is a nice boy and maybe too nice for this game and you are allowed to be tougher. He is 20 years of age, you'll never be the finished article.

"I am sure he has fire in his belly to be in the starting line-up and he can step up for us. It's a tough game and if you look at him, he is one of the unproven goal-scorers in the squad.

"We are trying to help him become a proven goal-scorer, he has a lot to learn but huge potential."

Rovers are targeting a fifth successive Championship away win on Saturday when they travel to rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have won just one in seven under new boss Danny Rohl but have improved dramatically since he took over the club.

Their underlying numbers have shot up considerably, even if the points tally hasn't improved significantly. They earned a late draw against Leicester City in midweek, with a late goal from Jeff Hendrick earning them a deserved point.

Tomasson is well aware of the Owls' improvement and has warned his players against any complacency. He believes that the game will be incredibly tough and contested by two teams that are in good form, despite what the table may suggest.


"I think in the last six game with the new coach, they have been better and better," Tomasson explained. "It will be extremely difficult tomorrow.

"When you see one is bottom and the other is higher, people think it should be easy. The game is not played on paper, it's played on grass.

"If you look at the stats, they have done really well. When you create five big chances against Leicester, which they did, that's quite good. They should have won against Birmingham too.

"It's too games coming in with confidence. They scored late against Leicester in their last game and we come in with confidence so it will be tough.

"You can't compare them to before, it is day and night. In the last six games, they are getting better and better. Five big chances against the leaders Leicester means you're in a good place and we need to cope with that and be prepared.

"I have told my players that we have to be very ready for it because there will be a big challenge."

Rovers are now only two points off the play-off places after their impressive run of form. In the last eight matches, only Leeds United have collected more points in the second tier.

Their form away from home has been well documented and they're now chasing five away league wins for the first time since 1980. That was part of a seven-game winning run, their best in Football League history.

Despite that, Tomasson has remained grounded, warning the next game is always 'the most dangerous'. Whilst Rovers remain ambitious and dreaming of a top-six finish, they remain realistic with so many games to play.

"It's great to win games but we always have the attitude that we can win it but we can also lose it," Tomasson said. "It's a great league.

"If we perform as we have so far within the season, by doing the concrete right things I ask the players, then we always have the chance to get the right result with a good performance.

"We are quite stable in that way and the players should be happy with the performance so far. The next game is always the most dangerous game.

"We are allowed to dream, allowed to dream big for me as a coach and the players and as a team. We are ambitious but realistic."