Rovers have to roll their sleeves up and fight, according to Elliott Bennett, during what he admits is the toughest run of Tony Mowbray’s two year tenure.

A sixth defeat in seven matches since January leaves Rovers 17th in the table ahead of tomorrow night’s game with Wigan at Ewood Park.

Bennett says Rovers can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves about a sequence of one goal defeats which has seen them claim one point from the last 21 available.

He said: “You have two choices, you sit and mope about or you roll your sleeves up and work hard every day to try and turn it around.

“We’ll certainly be trying to do the latter.

“Football is 90 minutes, you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself. I don’t think it was for a lack of effort that we didn’t score.

“It was bad decisions, bad finishing, or maybe the final ball just not being there.

“Disappointment is the only word to describe it.”

Before this run of results, Rovers had never gone more than four games without a win under Mowbray, who took charge in February 2017.

Rovers are back in action tomorrow against a Wigan side who they were promoted alongside last term.

He added: “It’s the most difficult time since the gaffer has been here. Theses patches happen to every team.

“Unfortunately it’s happened for us after a really good January and looking towards the play-offs.

“It’s kind of hit us now, but there’s no time for that in football.

“I would play Saturday-Tuesday all season if I could. There’s nothing better than being out there playing games.

“When you lose a game you want to put it right, and the same when you win, you can’t wait to play again.

“We’ve got another game and it’s about seeing what we can do in that.”

Rovers dominated the ball, and territory, against Preston but were let down by their quality in the final third.

Daniel Johnson’s eighth minute goal gave the Lilywhites a second win of the season against Rovers, but Bennett said: “For long periods of the game we were by far the better team and had some really good opportunities. We didn’t give them too many, but their first attack, and entry in to our box ends in a goal.

“We worked really hard, tried and tried, but couldn’t score and the over-riding feeling is one of disappointment.”