TONY Mowbray welcomed a ‘much needed’ three points as Rovers moved back in to the automatic promotion places with a 3-1 win over Walsall at Ewood Park.

A Danny Graham double and Bradley Dack strike handed Rovers all three points which saw them leapfrog Shrewsbury in to second place.

They bounced back from the disappointment of a 1-1 draw with Northampton three days earlier to get back to winning ways.

And Mowbray said: “We’re happy enough, it was a decent performance after the frustration of Saturday.

“It was a much needed three points and asks questions of the teams around us.

“I’m a bit frustrated with Saturday, had we made it six points from six with Wigan’s game being off we would have been sitting top of the table.

“We have to keep going, lots of games to go and points to play for and we believe that we can win most games.”

Rovers were cruising at 2-0 up after 31 minutes courtesy of Graham’s 11th and 12th goals of the season.

However, they handed Walsall a way back in to the game eight minutes before the break when Joe Edwards reduced the arrears.

And Mowbray added: “We almost shot ourselves in the foot with giving a stupid goal away which they didn’t have to work too hard for.

“At 2-0 we had some other good chances and it would have been nice to have come in more comfortable than 2-1.

“They (the players) were disappointed at half-time that it wasn’t more and they went out there to win the second half and we scored in the first minute and managed the game well.

“We had more chances and were pretty solid until right at the end but we’re happy enough.

“With total respect to Walsall I would have hoped that we could put them under pressure and ask questions of them and yet we know what football is like.

“Northampton made it difficult for us yet I think they (Walsall) were more adventurous and thus allowed us a bit more space and we scored the goals that won us the match.”

Rovers managed to restore their two goal advantage a minute in to the second period as Dack fired home at the end of a lovely attacking move.

Of that strike, Mowbray said: “It took the sting out of things.

“Every attack 2-1 would have been nervous.

“We pressed high and if they got through that press they were generally at our backline.

“The third goal took the sting out of things, allowed us to pass it around, wait to see if we could counter and get another.

“We managed to do it pretty comfortably in the end.”