BLACKBURN Rovers captain Grant Hanley believes his centre-back partnership Shane Duffy will only get better.

But, with Matt Kilgallon fit again and Tommy Spurr and Darragh Lenihan also waiting in the wings, he knows the duo cannot afford to let their standards slip.

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Hanley and Duffy have started every league game so far this season after recovering from the serious injuries that cut short their campaigns last time out.

The 23-year-olds have rewarded Gary Bowyer’s faith with a string of solid showings to help Rovers revive their fortunes after a poor start to the term.

But Hanley, who will make his 150th league appearance for the club in this afternoon’s clash at MK Dons (3pm), insists their places are not guaranteed.

“I think, certainly centre-halves, getting a relationship with somebody you’ve got to have game time and play together for a while,” said the Rovers Academy graduate.

“If you rack up the games you get a better understanding and obviously me and Shane have played every game together this season.

“And, as the season goes on, if we can keep playing together, then the relationship will only get better.

“But at the same time there are no guarantees over our places.

“It’s only a small squad that we’ve got but we’ve got players in every position who are on the edge of getting into the team.

“So we have to keep our form going and keep working hard.”

Hanley, Duffy and Rovers have kept three consecutive clean sheets at Ewood Park.

But they head to Stadium MK today for the first ever league meeting between the clubs still searching for their first shutout of the campaign on the road.

With top-scorer Jordan Rhodes on a hot streak of seven goals in five matches, during which time Rovers have had 79 attempts at goal, Hanley knows the importance of keeping the opposition at bay.

“Clean sheets, as a defender, are your bread and butter, and they are what you look for in every game,” said the Scotland international.

“But especially in a side like this as we’ve got lads that can score goals. If you looked at the amount of chances we’ve created in the last five or six games, it would be a lot, so for us, if we can keep a clean sheet, we feel we will win the game.”

Rovers have also yet to win away from home this season. They have drawn their last two outings on their travels, though, and their excellent 2-0 victory at home to Ipswich Town before the international break extended their unbeaten run to four matches.

“Against Ipswich it was a complete performance,” said Hanley, who is one of only three players left at the club who were in the Rovers matchday squad for their 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat at the Dons three years ago; the others being Markus Olsson and the currently injured Jason Lowe.

“But we can’t rest on that now, we’ve definitely not cracked it yet. We’ve got to keep on working hard, which is what we have been doing in training.

“The games are going to come thick and fast again now but we’ve got to take them one at time and concentrate on that performance level.”