Key to Rovers’ promotion from League One was their form in midweek matches.

With several moved for television coverage, they played 13 times in midweek, not including Bank Holiday fixtures. They won 10 of those, including the promotion-clinching victory at Doncaster, and drew three.

Taking 33 points from 39 available, including four wins when none of their rivals were playing, helped Rovers pile the pressure on the chasing pack.

Midweek matches can often throw up some obscure results, not least with some teams choosing to rotate in a three-game week, and they can become particularly important when it’s not a scheduled matchday week.

Two thirds of the Championship’s sides are in action on Tuesday night, including six who realistically could either overtake, or be overtaken by Rovers in what is a tight-packed middle area of the table.

They include opponents QPR who will go in to the game in 14th, two points behind Rovers.

How much the table can change in one result can be demonstrated by Sheffield Wednesday who slipped from sixth to 10th after the 5-0 defeat to Rovers.

Last season Rovers won two of their eight midweek matches, against Wigan in March and Derby in April.

Before that, they had taken just two points from the 18 midweek points available, drawing with Reading and Derby but beaten by Sheffield United at Ewood and away to Swansea, Wigan and Reading.

So far this season, things have been a little better. They have beaten Hull on their travels  and Brentford at Ewood, drawn with Nottingham Forest and Wigan at Ewood and Swansea away, and been beaten by Birmingham in October.

Tuesday’s visit of QPR is one of four scheduled remaining midweek matches, with home matches to Hull and Stoke, plus an away trip to Wigan.

So Rovers, unbeaten at Ewood since September, will certainly be looking to improve on their midweek record this season.

And that could be one area that could help them top last season’s points tally of 60, with 21 required from 18 games to do so.