Dom Hyam insists Blackburn Rovers will be aiming to improve on last season's disappointing finish and look upwards in the Championship table.

Rovers finished in the division's top ten in 2022/23 and 2023/24, narrowly missing out on the top-six on both occasions.

They recorded their highest league finish since relegation from the Premier League in 2012 under Jon Dahl Tomasson. Until December, they'd looked on track for another push at promotion via the play-offs.

However, a tough run of form saw them avoid relegation on the final day of the season, finishing 19th overall. 

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Hyam, who captained the side last season after Lewis Travis' January move, is hoping that Rovers can return to competing at the right end of the table this season.

“It goes without saying, Blackburn Rovers are too big to be down the bottom of the Championship," he told RoversTV. 

"We want to be looking up and looking towards the higher end of the table rather than the bottom. It was a pretty unrecognisable place for Blackburn but we want to hopefully have a much better season.

“The Championship is a yo-yo division and no-one has any right to be anywhere. The table doesn’t lie and you have got to put in the performances and get the wins. It has been very contrasting seasons for me and hopefully we can climb up the table.”

Rovers kicked off pre-season this week with John Eustace utilising players from the Academy to get a better overview of players who might be able to make the step up.

The head coach will be hoping to bolster his squad in the transfer market and use pre-season as an opportunity to bed in his style of play. 

Rovers have another 10 days before two 60 matches at Accrington Stanley on July 6. There will also be a behind closed doors game against Tranmere Rovers before they jet off to Austria for a week.

“It is massive, you need to build up a robustness," Hyam said.

"It is a gruelling season, there are a lot of games with highs and lows, and you have got to be prepared for it. If you can get through pre-season unscathed and get through the majority of the fitness work, you give yourself a solid base for the season. That is what I’ll be looking to do.

“It is the unknown, a little bit of anxiety, but all the lads are ready to be back. You get a decent six weeks off and for the last couple of weeks, you get itchy feet and start thinking about football again. This is what we all love doing and we are happy to be back.”

He added: “The gaffer wants to implement his ideas and get his tactics and thoughts across. You can only do so much in training and we have got games in pre-season to show what the manager has put across to the players. Hopefully, come the start of August we will be ready to go.”