SOMETIMES it can take a while for the favourites to hit their stride.

Think back to this time last year and the stumbling start that had some Sheffield United fans calling for Chris Wilder's head.

Yet a team that lost four of their first five games went on to romp to the League One title and amassed 100 points.

So it would be dangerous to read too much into Blackburn's back-to-back defeats as they begin life in the third tier – the first Premier League champions to drop this far.

Doncaster, fresh from their Caracao Cup win at Valley Parade, burst the Ewood bubble in Rovers' home bow to follow an opening-day loss at Southend.

Boss Tony Mowbray described their latest setback as "self-inflicted" – but he remains level-headed as he waits for a squad that certainly possess the quality to click into gear.

Mowbray said: "We've lost 12 players and got nine new. I'm still excited by what we have but it's about bringing it all together.

"I am confident that this group will win a lot of matches this year because of the talent I see every day on the training pitch.

"We just need to find the right balance and in the first two games we have not got it right."

Splashing out £750,000 on Gillingham jewel Bradley Dack underlined the spending power at Mowbray's disposal.

Dack, Ben Gladwin and Craig Conway are all nearing full fitness and Mowbray still plans to increase his options further before the end of the transfer window.

Scottish winger Conway said: "We have a big game (at Bradford) tomorrow. People are getting back fit and hopefully we can start a run off.

"You can't be down in the dumps about it. The games come thick and fast and we are more than capable of winning anywhere.

"That will be the plan this weekend. We have had a good week of preparation and we are going out there to hopefully put things right."