John Eustace expects the Championship relegation battle to go down to the wire but insists Blackburn Rovers are only focusing on themselves.

Rovers are still chasing their first win since Eustace took the reigns as head coach which has increased anxiety around Ewood Park. The team have been far tougher to beat, drawing five of their seven league matches but wins have been tough to come by.

That means Rovers sit three points above the bottom three in 18th. It's an incredibly crowded portion of the table five points between 23rd and 15th in the standings.

Blackburn missed the opportunity to get points on the board after three games against teams in and around them, collecting two from a possible nine against Swansea City, Millwall and Plymouth Argyle. The final nine fixtures are very tough, on paper, with the top four all to play.

READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers' improvement and weakness under Eustace

Eustace thinks the race for survival will be a nervy finish but is confident Rovers will be ok if they continue picking up points.

"We are taking care of ourselves, that is all we are worried about," he said.

"When we came in, we were in a bad run of form. We'd lost seven or eight games out of ten.

"Now it's two defeats in nine, including the 90 minutes against Newcastle. We are making good steps going forward. We want to win more games, of course we do.

"It's important we keep picking up points. I'm sure it will go down to the wire, that's the Championship. We have to make sure we're competitive in every game we play and we show that fighting spirit.

"At the moment, we are showing that. I think a win would make everyone feel better, of course, it would.

"Wins are hard to come across and if we keep 11 men on the pitch, it gives us a better chance to win the game. It's very, very important not to get too disappointed that we haven't won. 

"It's important to keep working hard, sticking together and I think everyone at the football club got us through difficult moments. I was very proud of everyone."

A congested schedule has seen Rovers play nine times in 28 days, with Eustace set to get his first free week on the training ground before Middlesbrough ahead of the international break.

He again stressed that players are putting their bodies on the line for the team, with little rotation due to six players being unavailable.

"I view it as we've used the squad, we haven't had a settled team yet. We've had to use the squad. We've had to play players who are running on empty, that are scrappy and fighting for everything.

"We had to bring Callum off on Tuesday at half-time. He turned up on Friday and said he was available to play, a magnificent effort from him. 

"Gallagher, Fadz, John Buckley, these players aren't used to playing week in, week out at the moment. They are going to the well and back.

"I couldn't be prouder of the efforts and the commitment this group are showing.

"It's about getting the right balance now (with a free week). We want to get the right rest, the right messages to the group and then we can assess who is fit and who is available.

"We have another nine games to come up and we need to be prepared."