Blackburn Rovers' Sondre Tronstad on busy fixture list

The 28-year-old has had to be patient for opportunities at times since his arrival from Vitesse Arnhem.

However, Tronstad has become an important cog in Jon Dahl Tomasson’s system at Rovers over the past couple of months.

“I am much more comfortable,” he said. "In the beginning, it was a bit tough for me.

“It took time to settle in and get used to the league. Now when you play a lot of games, it is getting easier and I feel comfortable.”

The midfielder played the full 90 minutes at Stoke City over the weekend as Rovers secured another victory on the road.

Tronstad felt the squad showed their ability to dig in and be resolute despite facing pressure from the Potters.

“It was a tough game, not the best game maybe,” he explained. “But a great win and three goals away from home. Stoke hadn’t conceded in their last four games so it is a good win.

“Of course, you want to play well and win. But sometimes you have to really dig in and work hard for the points, that is what we did.

“I think we defended really well. At times they had a lot of pressure on us but we defended well as a unit. We didn’t concede any goals so that was good.”

The midfielder added: “I think at times, you need it. It is difficult to come here and have the ball all the time.

“You want to have the ball more, be more controlling and have more passes. But like I said, sometimes you also need to have the defensive side and that is what we did.”

Tronstad was pleased to return to winning ways at the first attempt after the late defeat against Preston North End, which he admitted was tough to take.

The Norwegian is one of the more experienced members of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s squad and has been in the game long enough to know there will always be highs and lows.

“In football, things change quickly,” he stated. “That was really tough, when you lose in the last minute.

“The good thing is there is a new game every time now. We have a game again on Wednesday so we need to crack on.”

Tronstad continued: “I think we are doing well. We have a few injuries but those who have stopped in have done really well.

“It is just about finding consistency now and getting more wins on the bounce, which is important.”

The midfielder’s return to the side has coincided with an impressive run of results away from home, which started at Queens Park Rangers nearly two months ago.

When asked what was behind Rovers’ strong form on the road, Tronstad replied: “I am not, sure to be honest.

“I think we have been a bit more solid away from home, we just need to find the right way to get back to winning ways at home.

“We have talked about it, we play some really good football and we score a lot of goals, but we also need to defend better to be near the top and searching for the play-offs. The win (at Stoke) shows we can do it.”

Tronstad is enjoying playing alongside Adam Wharton in midfield (Image: Camerasport)

Tronstad has spent plenty of time alongside Adam Wharton in the middle of the pitch and enjoys playing with the highly-rated youngster.

“I really like it,” he smiled. “He is a good guy and a really good player, he is good on the ball and has good vision. He also works hard so it is really nice to have him next to me.”

Wharton is one of many young players who have been given opportunities at Ewood Park since Tomasson took charge.

Tronstad is keen to share his experience and help his team-mates where he can, which was the case while defending a slender lead against the Potters before Andrew Moran and Sam Szmodics’ late goals made things more comfortable.

“When it is 1-0, you will most likely get some pressure on you and it is just about how to get out of it,” he added.

“They had a few shots but we were going to the ball and blocking it, making sure they didn’t score. It was really important we got the second goal and nice for Moran to get it.”

The 28-year-old knows the fixtures start to come thick and fast around this time of year but is embracing the challenge ahead.

“It is the reason why I came here,” he grinned. “I love to play games and when you have this many games in the season, it is perfect. I am really looking forward to it.”