Tony Mowbray believes his Blackburn Rovers side are battling both promotion rivals and opponents who raise their game against them as they seek to secure a League One promotion.

Rovers are in a three-horse race with Shrewsbury Town and Wigan Athletic for the two promotion places and could be third by the time they kick off against Bradford City in their next match on Thursday week.

Mowbray’s men have cemented their promotion charge with a run of just one defeat in 26 league games and are unbeaten at Ewood Park since mid-September.

That 16-game unbeaten home run came after losing two of their first three league games at Ewood and Mowbray believes his side have learnt to cope with opponents stepping their performances up against Rovers.

“I think we have dealt with that all season,” he said.

“I think every game the opposition are at maximum. How do I know that? I watch all their games prior to us, I watch three or four of their last games they have played.

“Sometimes they are unrecognisable to the team that turns up when we play them.

“Sometimes you have to guard against thinking ‘these might not be very good’ because come the day you play them they are like tigers.

“They are at maximum intensity and every second ball is vital to them whereas the game you had been watching it wasn’t quite like that.”

He added: “I think it is a fair assumption that we get the A game of most teams when we turn up and vice versa that when teams come to Ewood - it is a big stadium compared to a lot of the teams in League One - and it is a day that intensifies the adrenaline levels of the opposition and they perform to their best.”

Rovers are now in the middle of an enforced 19-day break from action after their game at Gillingham last weekend fell foul of the weather while this weekend’s away game at Doncaster has been called off due to international call-ups.

Mowbray’s men return to action against Bradford on Thursday week, one of two upcoming home games which will be shown live in front of the Sky cameras.

By then Mowbray will hope to have Danny Graham available after the Rovers frontman limped out of the win over Blackpool on March 10 with a rib injury.

The 32-year-old trained prior to the postponed trip to Gillingham but was rated as doubtful for the Priestfield visit.

Peter Whittingham was set to return to the squad for that match, having spent three months on the sidelines with a thigh problem.

But the former Cardiff City man will have benefitted from the break from action and will offer Mowbray another option in the remaining nine games.

However, Ryan Nyambe and Harry Chapman have both added to the Rovers absentee list during the past week, with both set for extended periods out of the team with hamstring injuries.