Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe picks out five talking points from the Millwall win.

LENIHAN LEADS

Without his more senior partner, in Charlie Mulgrew, Darragh Lenihan assumed the role of marshalling the Rovers backline.

He did it to great effect. Whether through his voice, coaxing the rest of the back four to keep a high line, or with his head, meeting everything in sight, he was an immovable object.

When Millwall tried to rally, Lenihan pulled his team through it. And it was that defensive resolve, after what has been a tough period, that earned an overdue, but deserved clean sheet.

Praise too must go to Jack Rodwell, back in the side after injury. But he was more composed in his work here, and his display makes the likely departure of Paul Downing more understandable.

FORWARD MOMENTUM

The one hope, after a desperately poor opening hour, was that the Rovers bench, boasting five attacking options, could provide a much needed cutting edge.

Impact from players off the bench is something we haven’t seen enough of this season.

Taking off Bradley Dack, even despite a difficult night, is always a big call. But the impact of Armstrong was such that it totally vindicated Tony Mowbray’s decision.

He created the first by driving to the byline, while the goal he scored, his sixth of the season was him at his best.

Rovers need to utilise his threat on behind much more, and when found by an Elliott Bennett pass, he did the rest.

They were too static in their approach play before his arrival, but a better impact he couldn’t have made.

BRIGHTER OUTLOOK

The festive period was undeniably tough for Rovers, with a fixture list that didn’t leave any room for error.

Playing the top four sides in the space of 10 days was always going to be tough.

They ended 2018 with three successive defeats, but Tony Mowbray should be praised for the way Rovers have gone about their business in 2019, with six points out of six and an FA Cup draw with Newcastle.

The two goals conceded have both been penalties, while a 2-0 win here was vitally important. A shut-out was long overdue, their first in two months, and having shipped 18 goals on the road since their last win, and clean sheet, that too was a big hurdle to overcome.

They can now look forward to back to back home matches and the possibility of a league position closer to where they feel they should be.

TEAM SELECTION

If the starting line-up was a surprise, then the XI which finished the game was even more so.

Elliott Bennett, captain for the night, started at right back, and finished on the left wing. Harrison Reed, who started on the left wing, finished in central midfield.

Joe Nuttall came in for his first appearance since September in place of Danny Graham, while Rodwell’s return coincided with injuries to Charlie Mulgrew and Derrick Williams.

The Rovers bench boasted five attacking options, and just Ryan Nyambe as defensive cover.

Tony Mowbray has been known to mix things up, and for the second league game in a row he substituted Bradley Dack. Both have been vindicated, with Rovers holding out against West Brom, and scoring twice to win at Millwall.

Only three players in the starting line-up had scored in the Championship this season, and that seemed to show with a lack of cutting edge in the first half.

Mowbray has previously called for a better impact from his substitutes, and he couldn’t have asked for more from Armstrong, who after replacing Dack, scored one, and made the other.

NUTTALL’S RESPONSE

Mowbray challenged Joe Nuttall in November to get back to the intensity in his performances that saw him finish last season as the top scorer in Premier League 2 football.

He has responded with nine goals in his last five matches, enough to earn him a return to the first team fold.

This was just a second league start of the season, and first outing since the defeat to Bristol City in September.

That was a show of faith from Mowbray, as there was when he began to make his substitutions. Danny Graham and Armstrong were both introduced, but it was to play alongside, rather than replace Nuttall.

He finished the game on the right wing, but showed his goalscoring instincts to get across his marker, to turn in Armstrong’s cross, albeit after two deflections.

Like Travis, the outlook over whether he leaves on loan this month has changed somewhat. Unless Rovers bring in a forward, then it seems the 21-year-old will stay at Ewood Park.

And with Mowbray describing him as the most like Graham of his striking options, more chances could follow.