It’s been quite the start to Rovers' league campaign, hasn’t it? 

Three home wins in a row, joint-top goalscorers in the league, and a Japanese love affair in plain sight.

I won’t lie, I did have an air of caution going into the Bristol City match. The superstitious fan in me didn’t like the fact we were coming off the international break, against a side that’s had our number in some recent seasons at Ewood – and, of course, that horrendous night at Ashton Gate in April.

But who was I to worry? Fresh off the valiant defensive display at Turf Moor, John Eustace once again proved himself a smooth operator at this level with an intelligent tactical switch leading to an assured performance.

 I’ve said a few times on the Arte et Labore podcast that a genuine cover for Harry Pickering was a critical need in the transfer window. He’s been a reliable and very available selection at left back – but the law of averages suggested an injury at some point.

By bringing in the (again) impressive Owen Beck, Eustace has great cover and competition that crucially allows him to deploy his tactical nous, without disrupting the Rovers style too much. 

By pushing Beck (rather than our right back) high, it allowed Hayden Carter to comfortably operate in the same way that Pickering would on the left side. 

Eustace is rightly commended for making Rovers tougher to beat and ‘streetwise’ at this level. But responding to the injuries of both Callum Brittain and Pickering with this switch, I think he deserves huge credit for his tactical astuteness too. It provided the perfect bedrock for an assured victory at home – the staple for any successful season.

I was also delighted for Lewis Travis to get off the mark and add to the tally of different goalscorers this season - sharing the goals around has been the perfect tonic for losing Sammie Szmodics. 

It certainly wasn’t an easy finish either, especially having not bagged at Ewood for a couple of years. But the goal has capped off a fine return to Rovers and he looks every bit the player that Eustace will want and need in this side.

But of course, I must talk about Yuki Ohashi – where have we found this player from?! The recruitment team deserve huge credit and he looks to have everything in his locker to be a huge success for us.

He’s good in the air (see goals at Norwich and Stockport) and composed when needed (see Derby goal). What Saturday reinforced was his intelligence to pick up spaces on the football pitch (see Derby goal too), his ability to run down either channel, and if left with time and space, the ability to finish fantastically. Both goals were outstanding, especially the second with his weaker foot, and the noise from Ewood Park was incredible. Two real moments of joy.

He's probably spent his first month in England confused about our country, the EFL and the East Lancashire derby. So, it was fantastic to see his character shine through with his ‘archer’ celebration in front of the Blackburn End. He’s clearly someone in peak condition given the earlier start in the J-League, so we must continue to look after him, especially in the second half of the season when he might naturally tire - that really impacted Arnor Sigurdsson last season. But Rovers fans love a talisman and on early season viewing, we’ve found our man from Japan!

As I look forward to Preston, I wanted to make the link to Tyrhys Dolan too. Before the season, all the talk was about his contract, and I still hope he signs fresh terms with us. But I think he deserves huge credit for parking that and contributing more consistently to our forward line. Yuki’s first goal owes a lot to the persistence and weight of pass from Dolan – an outstanding assist. 

Like Travis, I think Dolan is another important regular in the side for Eustace. He allows us that flexibility in attack – either out wide or through the middle – and works so hard for the team. All those qualities will be required to get the job done at Deepdale this Sunday for sure.

But with the start we’ve had, we should absolutely go there with every confidence. It will be another hostile atmosphere for sure, but I’m sure the five thousand-plus away fans will play their part in Rovers continuing the impressive start.