From a record away win to looking toothless in front of goal, the past few days are proof of how quickly things can change in football.

Rovers’ display at Plymouth did not warrant a 3-0 scoreline, but that is the often-cruel nature of Championship football.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s young side were ruthless at the EnviroVent Stadium, scoring with their first seven shots on target, albeit against League Two opposition.

But they lacked the same composure in front of goal against the Pilgrims, with Ryan Hedges’ early miss setting the tone for what was to come.

The Welshman had been the hero at Watford a week prior, scoring the winner with a moment of real quality to beat his man and blast home from an acute angle.

Hedges wasn’t the only player to suffer from a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal at Home Park, and it soon became clear that it was going to be one of those days.

Tomasson made three changes from the side that won at Watford, with Harry Pickering replacing the injured Joe Rankin-Costello. Pickering returned to action at Harrogate after serving a one-game suspension following his sending off against Hull.

Sam Gallagher came into the starting line-up against the club he had a spell with as a youngster. The forward got an hour under his belt in midweek.

Andy Moran was also handed a first league start following his loan move from Brighton. Meanwhile, Harry Leonard and Tyrhys Dolan both dropped to the bench.

Rovers started brightly, keen to get on the front foot and dictate the play after taking a slightly different approach at Vicarage Road.

Hedges’ big chance came inside the opening 10 minutes but the hosts were relieved to see the ball trickle wide of the post.

Sam Szmodics also sent an effort over the bar as Rovers continued to attack with purpose and cause the Plymouth backline problems.

Gallagher then had a header tipped over the bar by Conor Hazard after getting on the end of Hedges’ floated cross.

But Rovers knew the Pilgrims would grow into the game, having maintained an impressive home record last season en route to the League One title.

First, Aynsley Pears was forced to push Bali Mumba’s header around the post. Then came the opener.

Aston Villa loanee Azaz saw his shot deflect off a couple of bodies and wrong-foot Pears. There was certainly an element of luck, but the goal had a big impact on the Devon club.

The dangerous Morgan Whittaker managed to skip past Dom Hyam but couldn’t find a way past Pears from a tight angle.

Tomasson was forced into a change at the break, with Hyam making way for Scott Wharton. The centre-back seemed to be in a bit of discomfort at the end of the first half.

Hyam has been a key figure since arriving in East Lancashire last summer, and perhaps his leadership was missed as Rovers crumbled late on.

Tomasson’s men had a couple of decent moments, with Hayden Carter sending a header just wide of the post before Szmodics dragged an effort wide from the edge of the box.

Leonard and Dolan then joined the fray as the Rovers boss looked to inject pace into his frontline and take advantage of the game’s end-to-end nature.

The former was immediately involved in the action but couldn’t quite get on the end of an inviting cross by Pickering.

Hedges then picked out Lewis Travis in the box but the Rovers skipper took to long to pull the trigger, allowing a defender to get a foot in and the ball clipped the top of the bar.

Tomasson must have been wondering how his side hadn’t scored after getting into a number of good positions but getting the final moment wrong.

And Rovers were hit by another sucker punch when Hardie slotted home after Pears had initially kept out Wright’s shot.

Things got even worse moments later when Cundle looped the ball over the helpless goalkeeper after he had rushed out of his goal to head clear.

Rovers’ lack of goals was ultimately what cost them a play-off spot last season despite putting in some strong performances during the final run-in.

There were understandably concerns following the departures of Ben Brereton and Bradley Dack, who scored 23 times between them last term.

But there had been cause for optimism that Tomasson’s side had learned to be more clinical in front of goal in the first few weeks of the campaign.

Rovers now have a couple of weeks to reflect on what went wrong at Home Park during the internaitonal break. They must make sure that their blunt performance against the Pilgrims was a one-off and not a trend continuing from last season.

Arnor Sigurdsson is still to come into the mix, having been frustrated by an injury since his move from CSKA Moscow over the summer.

Deadline Day addition Semir Telalovic will also benefit from time on the training pitch as he adjust to his new surroundings and learns what is expected from him in Rovers’ system.

Moreover, Niall Ennis was unable to take part at his former stomping ground due to a knee problem, having scored 14 goals for Steven Schumacher’s side last season. The 24-year-old was starting to look lively prior to his recent setback.

The impact of a third away fixture in the space of six days must also be taken into account. Even with the club’s fancy new bus, the time they have spent on the road was bound to take its toll while juggling league and cup football.

Rovers will be keen to bounce back when Middlesbrough come to town after the break. Michael Carrick’s side finished fourth last term but have had a tough start to the new campaign, which continued with a 2-0 defeat at home to QPR on Saturday afternoon.

Pears, Brittain, Hyam (S Wharton 46), Carter, Pickering, Travis (Garrett 79), A Wharton, Szmodics, Hedges (Bloxham 79), Gallagher (Leonard 62), Moran (Dolan 62). Unused: Wahlstedt, Gamble, Gilsenan, Tronstad