In isolation, pushing a rampant, promotion chasing Aston Villa close, wouldn’t be seen as anything to be too concerned about.

Though, this has to be put in to the context of the run they are on. You simply can’t overlook the fact this was an eighth defeat in 10 league matches, and they have now conceded at least two goals for six consecutive away games.

Rovers were outclassed for long periods, particularly in the first half, and struggled to live with the hosts’ impressive movement. If they are to have aspirations of being among the top six next season, and this is the standard to achieve, they have some way to go.

By the same token, whether with Aston Villa or not, Tammy Abraham, whose 22nd goal of the season opened the scoring in the eighth minute, and tormentor in chief Jack Grealish, will be playing Premier League football next season.

And the performance of the dynamic John McGinn just shows what an oversight it was for Rovers not to push harder for his services when he was available last summer.

In contrast, the Rovers starting line-up included 11 players who played in League One last season, with three of the four new recruits in the squad introduced in the second half .

A failure to strengthen in January left Rovers susceptible to the possibility of injuries derailing their season, as it proved. That has only heightened the pressure, and importance, of the upcoming summer window.

Mowbray will have had time to assess this group, and what is needed. Rovers possess plenty of honesty, but are in need of more depth and quality, to progress. 

There was however no shortage of effort and endeavour, despite them chasing shadows for much of the opening 45 minutes. And the introductions of their trio of substitutes adding more life, and quality, to their play, as they pushed hard for an equaliser after Amari’i Bell reduced the arrears with 17 minutes to play, firing in to the roof of the net after Jed Steer could only parry a Charlie Mulgrew free kick.

Their best move of the match moments before should have seen Adam Armstrong at least find the target, only to fire wide when played in by an excellent Danny Graham slide-rule pass.

A disappointment thereafter was the fact Rovers were unable to carve out a stand-out opportunity that would have seen them snatch an unlikely point.

And in a second half that was drifting after the break, to concede at the time they did was a body blow, as Tyrone Mings showed more hunger to attack a left wing cross to beat Mulgrew in the air and head beyond Raya.

The Spaniard was the reason the scoreline was just 1-0 at the break. After trailing to Abraham’s early strike, the ‘keeper save from the striker with his feet, before a terrific finger-tip save tip deflected a McGinn drive on to the post.

Raya, and Rovers, had a big let off before the break, however. The ‘keeper let a Neil Taylor shot through his fingers, but as the ball trickled towards the far corner, Anwar El-Ghazi, from an offside position turned in from a yard out, only for it to be chalked off.

The closest Rovers came in the first half was a Craig Conway shot which flicked the bar, while the nearest they went to an equaliser saw Joe Rothwell curl wide from the left edge of the box.

As things stand, with current pattern of results, Rovers are stumbling to the finish line. They have seven games to try and instil some impetus ahead of next season in which all thoughts have now turned to.

We will only learn how much of a learning season this has been in time. But as a team, and individuals, they know the levels they must reach.