Tony Mowbray felt Rovers’ win over Reading on their final home game of the season somewhat summed up his side.

They led 2-0 and 3-1 before eventually snatching the points late on through substitute Sam Gallagher’s header.

Two substitutes linked up for the winner, with Gallagher heading home a Harry Chapman cross, with Ben Brereton and Adam Armstrong having put Rovers 2-0 up inside six minutes before Joe Rothwell’s strike early in the second half.

Reading hit back through John Swift in the first half, and Sam Baldock and Yakou Meite in the space of four second half minutes, but Rovers grabbed the game’s seventh goal to end their Ewood fixtures on a high,

“A great game for the cardboard cut-outs,” he said.

“I think it was a good game of football for the neutral, we started amazingly well, got two up very early, I think it was looking as thought it could be three, four, five, one of those days. But then they got a goal out of nothing, it gave them a belief and some confidence that they weren’t out of the game.

“It was like that after a third goal, I would have to say their second goal was a brilliant header, but probably the second time they’d been in our box all game.

“We put ourselves under pressure and maybe that epitomises us. We can dominate, I thought we played some good attacking football and could have scored more goals than we did.

“Yet we’re left scrambling to win it at the end.

“I’m delighted for all the strikers, Rothwell scored one and made one and I’ve been moaning about him not having enough goals, assists, creating chances.

“The points are in the bag, the game doesn’t mean that much, and maybe a 4-3 reflects how it was.

“Yet I can take the positives of scoring four goals and creating lots of chances. In my belly the goals conceded hurt, because you can’t be at the top end of a league winning 4-3 every week.”

Four Rovers attackers were on the scoresheet, Brereton grabbing his first of the campaign, while Rothwell followed up his strike against West Brom with a goal and an assist.

Another Armstrong long-ranger made it 15 league goals for the campaign, with Gallagher getting his sixth goal since a £5m switch from Southampton.

And Mowbray was delighted with a traditional ‘number nine goal’, as Gallagher arrived late at the far post to bullet a header beyond Rafael Cabral.

He added: “Harry Chapman is sick of me moaning at him, ‘find the right position, find the ball’. When he’s on the pitch he has to have the ball, beat people, cross is in to the box.

“He has to have end product, whether you’re a goalscorer or creator, and I’m so happy he cut inside and bent one to the back post and I’m delighted for Sam.

“It hasn’t been the most productive period for him, I’ve spoken to him. For a lot of players they have to get settled, they have to feel part of an environment.

“It’s not been tough, or challenging, but difficult, he hasn’t had as much end product as we’d have liked, but he’s tried really hard, he puts a massive amount of work in to every game and he has to get in to those positions, arrive like a steam train at the back stick and a bullet header.

“That’s what he can do and not a lot of players can’t do that.

“I’m delighted for him and for Harry to create the goal and all the front players.”