BY the time the Blackburn Rovers coach rolls back into town tonight, hopefully containing a team that has returned from the Amex Stadium with all three points, it will have clocked up more than 1,000 miles in what has been a marathon week even by Championship standards.

Millwall away on a Tuesday followed by a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion today would take it out of most teams.

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But not that Rovers boss Gary Bowyer will be looking for sympathy no matter what the outcome of this afternoon’s encounter on the south coast.

Instead his thoughts are with the supporters who have followed their side around the country, and at a considerable cost, over these past five days.

“From the players’ point of view and from the staff’s point of view (the travel) is nothing compared what the supporters have to do,” said Bowyer.

“We’ve travelled well and stayed in nice hotels the day before on both trips.

“We appreciate the supporters have to take time off work, then get back home and go to work the next day in ridiculous hours of the morning.

“The support the other night was exceptional and we thank them for that because it was a horrible wet night in London.

“On Saturday no doubt we’ll have close to a 1,000 fans there and that is a phenomenal effort.”

The best way to reward the blue-and-white army at Brighton today would be a win that could lift Rovers into the play-off places going into international break.

To do that they will have to enjoy better fortune than they did in last season’s corresponding fixture that, ironically, fell on the same weekend last year.

Exactly 12 months ago Rovers went down to a barely deserved but largely self-inflicted 3-0 defeat to the Seagulls.

They forced goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak into a string of superb saves but mistakes from his opposite number, Jake Kean, and the now departed Dickson Etuhu, ensured a Brighton team featuring Rovers winger Craig Conway took full advantage to run out comfortable winners.

Bowyer has no doubt his side, who are unbeaten in six games, have improved since then.

They have certainly changed since then with only three players who lined-up a year ago – Lee Williamson, Jordan Rhodes and Tom Cairney – expected to start today.

“Their goalie was man of the match, he did ever so well, saving everything we threw at him,” remembered Bowyer.

“I think the first half there wasn’t much it but then Dickson Etuhu came on and gave a penalty away just before half-time.

“It didn’t rock us and we did ever so well, bar from scoring goals, but then we got caught on the counter and a certain Craig Conway put in a hell of a cross for one of the goals for them.

“But this year is a different squad for both teams and we will go there full of confidence and with a little bit more desire and determination after Tuesday’s night disappointment.

“I also think we will go there as a better team. Progress has been made since then and we’re continuing to try and make this team and this squad better by working on the training ground very hard with them.”

The statistics back Bowyer up as Rovers are seven points better off than they were at this stage last season.

In contrast Brighton, play-off semi-finalists in each of the past two seasons, are two points worse off after a stuttering start to the campaign under new manager Sami Hyypia, whose team ended a 11-game winless run by beating Wigan Athletic on Tuesday.