Dom Hyam is confident Rovers are heading in the right direction following their hard-fought point at Middlesbrough.

The skipper was pleased to keep a clean sheet on the road and get another point on the board as John Eustace’s men battle to pull away from the drop zone.

Hyam hopes Rovers can build on their defensive improvement of late as they prepare for an important block of games after the international break.

“It’s the old cliché - if you can’t win the game, don’t lose it,” he said after the final whistle.

“We played some good stuff and could have nicked it. It was pretty close in most aspects of the game but it was good to take a point home.

“(Being solid) is one thing we have been focusing on since the gaffer came in. It is the easiest thing to fix, becoming solid, which we have done.

“We have only conceded two goals a game, maximum, since he came in so that is the foundation we want to build on.

“Obviously, we want to score more goals and become more of a threat but we have taken small steps and I think it is a good point.”

The centre-back admitted there was also a tinge of frustration they couldn’t find a goal at the other end to secure the victory.

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“There is always frustration but I think you have just got to have a calm head. In football, you can’t get too high or too low,” he continued.

“Everyone wants to win and we are in a position where we need to win football matches. But away from home, a clean sheet and there are definitely some positives to take.

“There were a few hearts in mouths at the end (when Isiah Jones hit the crossbar). They are a good team with a lot of threats across the pitch.

“We got that bit of luck and maybe a few weeks ago, we might not have got that.”

Hyam played alongside Scott Wharton at the heart of defence, with John Eustace reverting to a back four at the Riverside Stadium.

“It gives you different things in different moments,” he explained. “You have got a bit more of a threat and an extra midfielder to help you create.

“It is just about making the pitch a bit more narrow and maybe giving up the furthest winger, there are little differences. We trained on it and we are pretty adaptable.”

The skipper also hailed the Rovers fans, who have racked up the miles to follow the team despite their hectic fixture list over the past couple of months.

“It was a massive effort from them to come all that way,” Hyam added. “Since the gaffer has come in, it has been the only week where we haven’t had a midweek game.

“It has been relentless but they have backed us in their numbers – going to Wales twice and here, there and everywhere.

“You could hear them for 90 minutes (on Saturday) and hopefully they were happy with a point and a clean sheet.”

The 28-year-old has become a Scottish international since his arrival at Rovers in the summer of 2022.

However, he didn’t make the cut for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

Hyam admits he would have loved to get the chance to represent his country again but is staying focused on the positives. He will now get the chance to recharge his batteries and come back stronger for the final run-in.

“I could do with some time off and a few days to relax, but my aspirations and ambitions are always to play at the highest possible level,” he reflected.

“I will take a few days back home to see the family and switch off. The break will be massive.

“We have only really had a few days to train properly and get some tactical stuff into us. It gives us a good opportunity to get a good balance of rest and some more training.”

The Championship table is tight as always, with five points separating 16th-place Millwall and 23rd-place Sheffield Wednesday heading into the business end of the campaign.

When asked how much attention he is paying to the sides around Rovers, Hyam replied: “There are still quite a lot of games left.

“You do have a look, it is human nature. It is hard not to really but you don’t want to focus on other teams much, we can only control what we do.”