From a soft touch six weeks ago, Rovers have become horrible to play against, as big a compliment as you can pay them.

Since the meek second half surrender at Preston North End, where a lack of leadership and responsibility were glaring, Rovers have since taken 19 points from a possible 24 and kept three clean sheets.

It would be easy to focus on the defensive side of the game, given that Rovers have fallen short so often in that area. But the goals they have scored in that time have demonstrated the quality within this group, and why the opening third of the season was so underwhelming.

Rovers now have two central defenders willing to engage in contact, get their head on aerial balls, and do the basics well.

In midfield, if Travis isn’t snapping at your heels then Evans, or on this occasion, Johnson, won’t be far away from stealing in and nicking the ball.

In attack, Graham has bullied centre halves, while the willingness to run in behind of Gallagher and Armstrong have taken defenders in to areas they don’t want to go.

All this has helped contribute to a winning run where Rovers haven’t simply relied on individuals, and while key personnel have played key roles, there has been a collective responsibility.

It’s been quite a week, in which those die-hard fans who have clocked up more than 900 miles to see their side at Swansea City and Bristol City deserve unreserved praise.

As for the players, four days away together, and four more points clocked up, will have only helped add to the camaraderie and bond this side have forged.

And while those players namechecked above deserve their share of the plaudits, the biggest of all should be for Tony Mowbray.

He knew the flak that would have come his way had the six changes he made not worked out. But he was well aware, given the workload his players got through at Swansea three days earlier, something had to give.

Mowbray knows his players, he has for the most part got the best out of them. He also knows this division, and how to set a team up.

Rovers had just one full day of training to work with a brand new team, and formation, bringing players such as Amari’i Bell and Bradley Johnson in from the cold, Ben Brereton for a first league start since April as well as recalls for Elliott Bennett, Lewis Holtby and Sam Gallagher.

Could Rovers do it without relying on the likes of 10-goal top scorer Dack, suspended for the Bristol City trip, experienced frontman Graham and Corry Evans, a player who has starred in this recent run?

Well what the much-changed side produced was Rovers’ stand-out win of the season. Going away to a team who started the day fourth in the league and winning with such ease, restricting them to one shot on target and keeping a first away clean sheet since August, spoke volumes.

After Johnson thumped home the opener, from a well-worked corner routine that hadn’t come off in practice 24 hours earlier, he had a key role in the second, freeing up substitute Adam Armstrong to make the game safe.

Even hosts boss Lee Johnson, who tried his best to stir things up on the touchline, recalled ‘eight or nine times’ where his side ‘weren’t committed in the midfield areas’ and that was down to the work Rovers got through.

Johnson also spoke of 'gamesmanship' and 'dark arts' demonstrated by Rovers, which could also be defined as 'game-management' and 'professionalism' on the other side of the coin. 

The way Rovers have been able to negotiate pressure, rather than succumb so easily as they previously had, is another sign of them moving in the right direction. Rovers shut down space, closed off angles, and when seizing the moment to strike, snapped in to the tackle.

In between the two Rovers goals, there was little by way of goalmouth action in a game that struggled for flow with 31 fouls in all.

Lenihan was well placed to block from Niclas Eliasson and Ashley Williams as the hosts threatened a quick response, before the Welsh centre half headed wide unmarked on the half hour mark.

That would prove to be the closest the Robins came to a goal all afternoon. Gallagher’s thumping 25-yard effort drew a good low stop from Dan Bentley who was grateful to see Johnson shoot too closely to him after being teed up by Ben Brereton.

Much of the goalmouth action came in the first half, with Famara Diedhiou unable to turn in a Jack Hunt cross all the hosts had to show for their second half efforts.

And after Armstrong made the game safe with 13 minutes to go, Rovers, looking much the fresher and aided by their six alterations saw the game out with ease.

The win moved them to ninth, a point outside the top six and with two home games to come. The players will rest up after a week away, and now look to really kick on and force their way in to the top six mix.