TONY Mowbray insists Rovers’ focus will purely be on Northampton, but he knows two home games in four days gives his side a perfect opportunity to cut the gap to leaders Wigan.

Rovers host the Cobblers this afternoon and with the Latics in FA Cup action, they could close the gap to two points.

Mowbray’s men leapfrogged Shrewsbury in to second place on goal difference after last weekend’s win at Fleetwood Town, with the Shrews away to Portsmouth today.

However, Paul Hurst’s men are without a game in midweek, offering Rovers a double incentive with the chance to put distance between themselves and third place as well as reeling in the leaders.

Mowbray said: “I think that has to be the plan, we won’t get ahead of ourselves and have to focus and concentrate wholly on Northampton and play as we have been, find that intensity to play at the level we play, ask questions and see if they can cope with it.

“We’ve got two fixtures at home and we have to try and capitalise on those, starting with Northampton.

“Hopefully we can come out of it with a positive performance and a good result and move quickly on to Tuesday.

“It would be a good week if we could take six points from those two games.

“We have to look after ourselves, accumulate points, that’s what we’ve tried to do all season, keep going, don’t look back, looking forward.

“Where we are now we’ve got one team that we have to try and overhaul to get to the top and we have to try and strive to do that.”

Rovers have won seven and drawn three of their last 10 home league games after losing two of their opening three to Doncaster Rovers and AFC Wimbledon.

A similar haul of points in their remaining 10 Ewood fixtures would move them close to their promotion aim.

This afternoon’s match offers Rovers the chance to move their points accumulated at home tally to more than those achieved away for the first time this season.

And the boss added: “I’ve always said that we want to be strong at home and have to accumulate most of our points at home.

“The balance of points home and away has been pretty level all season but we have big games left to go at home.

“Scunthorpe was a big game, we performed pretty well, Shrewsbury was a big game and we performed well in that.

“Wigan have got to come, Bradford have got to come and they are games that when they come along we’ll be ready for, focused on but those games in-between we have to have the same desire and commitment and endeavour to get the three points.

“It doesn’t always go as you would hope of course.

“Somewhere along the line you can lose a goal from a free-kick, a referee gives a penalty, you have to deal with it and stay mentally tough and as the spirit within the dressing room is very strong and it will take a good team to take three points off us.”