Blackburn Rovers rounded off pre-season with a 1-0 win at Stockport County thanks to a penalty from Tyrhys Dolan.

John Eustace's side finished their preparations for the Championship season with victory at Edgeley Park. They controlled the match and created enough chances to win by a more handsome score line.

They were particularly wasteful in the first half. Makhtar Gueye made quite the impression on debut and could've scored with his first two touches but curled wide from 15 yards.

The imposing striker could've had another before half-time but shot to close to Corey Addai, who managed to scoop the effort over the bar.

Dolan was most guilty though after he shot wide from 10 yards after Rovers had pressed high to win the ball back.

But he made amends after the break. Callum Brittain's was judged to have been handled and Dolan stuck away the penalty kick.

Eustace's side controlled the second half, with the tempo dropping as the contest went on. Aynsley Pears' goal went untested, bar one save to deny a Will Collar header, in a solid defensive display.

You can never make too many assumptions in pre-season but with this Rovers' final outing before the curtain is drawn, there were a few clues and hints in Eustace's team selection.

Gueye started for his first outing in Rovers colours, with Lewis Travis taking the armband. There were no other major surprises as Sam Szmodics and Jake Garrett didn't play with transfer talks continuing.

It was the first sighting of new signing Gueye, who was thrown straight into the XI by Eustace. He was certainly heavily involved and could've scored with his first two touches.

The game was only minutes old when Hedges won the ball back and cut it back for Gueye. He had time for a touch to open his body but placed the shot just wide from 15 yards.

That would not be the first sight of goal for the striker. He had a shot blocked from a promising area and then took aim from the edge of the box, straight at Addai.

A fourth presentable chance, and perhaps the most glaring, presented itself before the break. A lovely touch and pass from Rankin-Costello gave him a clear sight at goal but his shot was saved by Addai and spooned over the bar. 

The most gilt-edged chance was spurned by Dolan, though. Rovers pressed and won the ball high, with Gueye nodding into the forward's path, only for him to drag it wide from 10 yards.

Rovers' approach play was slick and the tempo had been raised from their draw at Wigan Athletic the week before. But it was undeniable they should've led at the break.

It was Yuki Ohashi's turn for the second half as he replaced the big man during the break, though Stockport created the first opening minutes after the restart.

Will Collar met a cross from the right at the far post and forced Aynsley Pears into his first save of the night.

But Rovers opened scoring minutes later as Brittain's cross was handled in the box. Dolan stepped up and made up for his earlier miss, sending Addai the wrong way.

The former Crawley Town goalkeeper was busy again as Ohashi buzzed down the right-hand side and cut back for Dolan. His powerful shot was impressively kept out by Addai.

As the match wore on, the tempo from both sides dropped, though Rovers controlled proceedings well. It became more of a training exercise with both sets of players feeling the heat.

It ended 1-0 with Rovers exerting a good level of control against a decent League One test. The new signings made an impression and key players looked sharp.

Of course, the proof will be in the pudding when the curtain comes up next week. But the final dress rehearsal was assured.