John Eustace reckons Rovers will learn a lot from their experiences over the past season – but admits they need more goalscorers.

Sam Szmodics carried most of the burden in the final third, scoring 27 times in the league including his brace at the King Power Stadium on the final day. That total saw the Irish international clinch the Golden Boot award, finishing six goals clear of second-place Adam Armstrong.

The 28-year-old also netted six times in the cup competitions, becoming the club’s first player to hit 30 goals in a single season since Alan Shearer – an impressive feat considering some of the talismanic figures who have played in East Lancashire over the years.

No other member of the Rovers squad reached double figures this term. The second-highest scorer was Arnor Sigurdsson, who found the net seven times in total, while Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan scored five goals each.

Eustace knows is not sustainable to keep relying heavily on one player and is keen to address that issue in the summer.

"I think it is important to realise where we have let ourselves down this season," he said. "We have to refocus and get together in the next couple of weeks to build properly.

"I think we need to add to the group. We have one goal-scorer, nobody else from their numbers previous is there where they can score consistently.”

One of Eustace’s initial priorities after taking charge at Ewood Park in February was to tighten things up at the back. The side had conceded 29 goals in the 12 league fixtures before his first unofficial game in the dugout against Stoke.

There have certainly been signs of progress on that front, keeping clean sheets in three of the final four matches of the season, including the impressive victories at Leeds and Leicester.

Moreover, Rovers only conceded more than one goal in two of their final 11 fixtures – those being the frustrating defeats against Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Eustace has been encouraged by their discipline out of possession over the past few months, but the boss is now focused on becoming more effective with the ball.

He also reckons the squad will be better off in the long run after facing adversity and coming through the other side to beat the drop and preserve their Championship status.

"What the group will learn from this experience is brilliant for them,” Eustace added. “They now understand what it really takes to stay in the league.

"You keep level-headed and the togetherness is key. Hopefully, one or two of this group will now step up and be the man that I have asked them to do.

"Without the ball, they are doing it. With the ball, we can improve.

“We have to improve next season, I am sure we will have a lot of these players here next season. We can't wait to start working with them again."