Ben Brereton has been hit with a three match suspension by the Football Association after Rovers opted against appealing against the red card he was shown in the midweek defeat at Barnsley.

Brereton has sent off just seven minutes after coming on at Oakwell for a foul on Barnsley full back Kilian Ludewig, deemed violent conduct, by referee Darren Drysdale and will now miss Rovers’ next three matches.

They include this weekend’s game with Leeds United, followed by a trip to Cardiff City next week and the home game with West Brom on July 11.

The 21-year-old had started Rovers’ opening two games after the re-start, before being utilised off the bench at Barnsley midway through the second half.

Tony Mowbray said Brereton’s actions were unacceptable, but didn’t feel it had a bearing on the overall result.

He said: “He’s kicked the boy, that’s really disappointing for the team of course.

“He’s probably reacted to me giving him some verbal abuse when he wasn’t strong enough in the initial challenge.

“It’s unacceptable to do that for the team, so disappointing.

“I don’t want to sit here and say that we lost the game because of that, we lost the game because we didn’t take our chances in the first half.”

Darragh Lenihan will return to the fold against Leeds United, having scored in this fixture last season, when Rovers won 2-1.

The influential Irishman missed the Barnsley defeat to attend the birth of his first soon, but is in line to return to the starting line-up as Rovers return to action at Ewood Park.

Rovers have won just three of the 20 matches the defender has missed through injury or suspension since promotion back to the Championship, conceding 38 goals and keeping just one clean sheet in that time.

Mowbray is again expected to have issues at left back, with Amari’i Bell, Derrick Williams and Joe Rankin-Costello all not expected to feature.

Lewis Travis has picked up a medical knee ligament injury and could be sidelined again, though Mowbray hasn’t ruled him out of contention.

However, Corry Evans will be out again with a broken toe, with Bradley Dack a long-term concern.

One player who will be back in the squad is John Buckley after his three month ban finally came to an end

Buckley was sent off in injury-time during the defeat at Derby County on March 8, Rovers’ final match before lockdown.  

The Academy graduate has played 19 times this season, scoring twice, and been a regular in the matchday squad.

And welcoming the 20-year-old midfielder back in to the squad, Mowbray said: “We like John Buckley. We’ve played him, but can’t expect to play him every game, he’s a young guy, physically he still has to develop.

“But talent, confidence, ability, he’s got all of those things that are going to make him into a top player.

“It’s good that he’s back, we can fit him in to this team, utilise him off the sides, in the central areas, he wants the ball, he wants to play, travel with the ball, picks the right pass most of the time.

“Physically at times he’s still to mature and develop, but he’ll be a welcome addition back in to the group.”