John Eustace and Danny Batth have been shortlisted for the Championship Manager and Player of the Month prizes respectively for September.

Rovers took seven out of a possible nine points in the league last month, kicking off with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Bristol City at Ewood Park. Lewis Travis got the opener before Yuki Ohashi bagged a brace in the second half.

The points were shared at Preston North End the following weekend and the month concluded with a 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers thanks to goals from Travis and Batth.

Rovers were third in the table at the end of September, although they have now slipped to eighth following defeats at Coventry and Plymouth.

“It has been a very pleasing start overall. A lot of hard work has been put into that,” said Eustace, who was also nominated in August, ahead of the international break.

"It is important to not get carried away. These results might give us a bit of a kick up the backside to realise we have to do the basics very well.

“When you don't, you are punished. We are learning about the group, the new players and developing.”

The head coach now faces competition from Burnley boss Scott Parker, Plymouth chief Wayne Rooney and Sheffield United gaffer Chris Wilder.

The Clarets also picked up seven points last month, including victories against Leeds and Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, Plymouth bounced back from a poor start to the campaign with a shock win against Sunderland. The Pilgrims also came out on top against struggling Luton.

Sheffield United racked up victories against Watford, Hull and Derby last month and are still the only unbeaten side in the division.

Batth has also been recognised for his contributions last month. The centre-back started all three games, helping Rovers keep three successive clean sheets.

The 34-year-old also netted his first goal for the club, planting a header past Paul Nardi after getting on the end of Todd Cantwell’s cross.

Batth had only made a couple of starts in the Carabao Cup before coming into the side against Bristol City.

“There is a togetherness growing and we want to keep improving on that,” he said last month.

“With the lads we have brought in and the lads who were already here, the journey the club is on, we will pull together regardless of results.

“There might be a bump in the road along the way or a bad run of form, but we are all experienced to know what to do in those situations.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s Barry Bannan, West Brom’s Alex Mowatt and Norwich’s Borja Sainz are also in the running for the prize.

Bannan netted for the Owls against QPR and Luton. The experienced midfielder also set up the winner against West Brom.

Meanwhile, Mowatt bagged a brace against Portsmouth and also got on the scoresheet at Hillsborough, playing a key role in the Baggies’ strong start to the campaign.

Sainz scored four goals in three league games last month, including a hat trick against Derby at Pride Park.

The winners will be announced on Friday, with the judging panel comprised of Don Goodman, Trevor Birch and Ivor Davies.