Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray insists he has no regrets about naming a much-changed side for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round defeat at the hands of Hull.

Rovers went into the match on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but Mowbray used the contest as an opportunity to give some of his fringe players a chance to impress, with the likes of Jayson Leutwiler and Willem Tomlinson getting rare starts.

Indeed, Blackburn gave a good account of themselves against the Championship outfit, but they were ultimately beaten 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Ola Aina.

After the match Mowbray defended his decision to rotate his line-up, as he believes Blackburn’s main priority has to be to secure promotion from League One come the end of the season.

“Our main target is to get out of this division and win league matches, so (Richie) Smallwood, probably our best player this year, wasn’t even in the 18,” Mowbray said.

“Ultimately it’s gone the other way but I’ve got no regrets on the selection of the team.”

Blackburn currently sit third in the League One standings, five points off the automatic promotion positions and they face a potentially pivotal showdown with second-placed Shrewsbury at Ewood Park on Saturday.

Rovers are likely to need to secure all three points from that contest if they are to harbour realistic hopes of winning the League One title this season, as they are currently priced at 6.00 to finish top of the standings come the end of the campaign.