Tony Mowbray wants Rovers to ‘keep piling on the pressure’ to the teams around them as they head in to the final 10 games of the season.

A run of four wins and two draws from their last six games has lifted Rovers to top spot in League One, five points clear of the chasing pack.

Shrewsbury Town in second, and Wigan a place and point further back, both have games in hand on Rovers but face a busy schedule with their respective cup commitments.

So Mowbray knows his side can do no more than applying scoreboard pressure by putting points on the board.

“As I keep saying to my team it doesn’t matter what colour the shirt or name on the back this is Blackburn Rovers and we have to impose ourselves on the team and they will feel our quality,” he explained.

“That’s got to be the case this weekend again to make sure that Blackpool feel our power and presence and the talent we’ve got at our disposal.

“That has to make an impact on the game but we have to be wary of their strengths.

“It’s a game we’re really looking forward to, an opportunity for three points and to keep piling the pressure on the teams around us and that’s what we’ll aim to do.”

Rovers beat Blackpool 4-2 in November during a run of four successive wins in the space of 10 days which kickstarted their promotion push. Mowbray says a great deal of preparation went in to that game, something he has repeated ahead of their Ewood meeting, intensified by Blackpool’s recent wins at Wigan and Portsmouth.

“I watched both of those games and they have been very potent, well organised defensively and well set-up which is no surprise,” Mowbray said.

“The supporters know Gary (Bowyer) and how he sets his teams up, very difficult to play against but they have a potency at the top end of the pitch with (Kyle) Vassell and (Viv-Soloman) Otabor.

“They have a threat and we could feel that threat in the away game.

“We put a lot of preparation in to that game and played on the front foot, were positive against them and got the right result.”

Bowyer spent two-and-half years in charge of Rovers before leaving in November 2015, taking charge of Blackpool six months later.

Mowbray has praised the work his opposite number has done in the testing conditions at Bloomfield Road with off-field troubles continuing to surround the club.

He said of Bowyer: “I think first and foremost he’s a good guy, a football guy. When I was manager of Middlesbrough I often talked to him about various players and I like Gary.

“I think the job he’s done at Blackpool with all that’s swirling around in the background has been quite remarkable really.

“I like his team, I talk about balance and I think it has really good balance. It has some technical footballers, some power and pace, a goalscorer and well set up defensively. They are doing exceptionally well and we know it’s going to be a tough test.”