I asked Valerien Ismael on Saturday if it was unthinkable that his team would not beat Sheffield Wednesday in this rearranged game. The Rovers boss at the time agreed that it was, but ultimately he was not there to see it.
Damien Johnson took interim charge without a proper training session to go through the shape work that he wanted to see from his players, but despite making hard work of it, they achieved a third home victory of the season.
This was never going to be about pretty football or free-flowing, carefree moves. It was simply a case of putting the points on the board, climbing out of the drop zone and moving on to Norwich on Saturday.
You could put a case forward for this being the strongest squad that Rovers have had at their disposal all season.
The substitutes' bench over recent months has been made up of a goalkeeper, two senior left-backs who had no chance of going on, an out-of-favour striker who has since moved on, and a sprinkling of academy players and summer signings to make up the nine.
This time it had the club's two leading scorers (Andri Gudjohnsen and Yuki Ohashi), recent recruit Olodapo Afolayan and the ever-willing Ryan Alebiosu. Game-changers who could make an impact. Three of the four were used, with Afolayan remaining patient.
The headline change to the starting XI was the return of defender Hayden Carter, a player who has endured an injury nightmare for the past 15 months.
Last night was only his seventh Championship start in the past 66 games. He played for an hour and looked like he had never been away.
As for the match, Rovers started the better with an early goal from Eiran Cashin – striker's finish from a centre-back.
The always excellent Sondre Tronstad was denied by a brilliant Murphy Cooper save as well as the frame of the goal, and it seemed that a second goal would not be long in arriving.
The second half was different. Wednesday began to ask questions. Without a goal since Boxing Day in the Championship, they hit the woodwork.
Rovers' familiar home frailties began to surface and long throws from Svante Ingelsson were looking like a problem.
Johnson used the experience of his bench to alter things as Wednesday's youth team were sent on to try to find a leveller.
It never felt comfortable without the second goal; the home record this season would not allow it to be that way. But it is three points, which is a start.
Now full focus needs to go on a managerial decision. For the third February in succession an appointment is needed. Rovers' much maligned key decision-makers have to get this spot on, or they could face dire consequences.
