RED-HOT Blackburn Rovers striker Rudy Gestede has been nominated for the Championship player of the month award.

Gestede, the winner of April’s prize, scored five goals in five games during November to take his tally for the term up to 11 in 17 league appearances.

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The Benin international kick-started his month to remember with a double strike in Rovers’ 3-1 home victory over Reading.

He also was on target in the 2-2 draw at Millwall before his flying header earned Gary Bowyer’s side a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.

And Gestede repeated the trick at Middlesbrough on Saturday, only this time in more dramatic fashion, as he lashed home Rovers’ 95th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 Riverside Stadium draw.

His rivals for the prize are Brentford forward Andre Gray, Leeds United midfielder Alex Mowatt and Birmingham City goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

Gray, like Gestede, netted five goals in as many matches in November, Mowatt scored three goals and created a further two, while Randolph kept three clean sheets and conceded just two goals.

Gestede becomes the third Rovers player to be nominated for the award this season.

Tom Cairney and Ben Marshall were in the running for the respective prizes in August and September.

But the midfield stars missed out to Charlton Athletic striker Igor Vetokele and Ipswich Town defender Tyrone Mings respectively.

The winner of the player of the month and manager of the month awards for November will be announced tomorrow morning.

Rovers boss Bowyer, despite going unbeaten in the month and taking nine points from a possible 15, is not up for the prize.

Instead Brentford’s Mark Warburton, Ipswich Town’s Mick McCarthy, Birmingham’s Gary Rowett and Bolton Wanderers’ Neil Lennon will battle it out for the award.

Warburton is the likely winner after leading the third-placed Bees, who welcome sixth-placed Rovers to Griffin Park on Saturday week, to five wins out of five in November.

McCarthy’s second-placed Tractor Boys won four and drawn one of their five matches, Rowett enjoyed a dream start to life at St Andrews, winning three and drawing two of his first five games in charge, while Lennon’s Whites took 10 points from a possible 12.

Bowyer was nominated for the October manager of the month prize.

But he missed out to Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, whose fourth-placed side, like Rovers, won two and drawn three in November.

Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, have been handed a major fitness boost ahead of their trip to Ewood Park on Saturday.

Left back Joe Mattock has missed Wednesday’s last four matches with an ankle injury sustained in the draw at Charlton on November 1.

Stuart Gray, who will take of his 50th Championship game as Owls boss against Rovers, feared he would be out of action for six weeks.

But Mattock has made a speedy recovery and is set to be named in Gray’s squad.