RED-HOT Rudy Gestede would swap the chance of being the Championship’s top scorer for promotion with Blackburn Rovers in a heartbeat.

The towering targetman is just one goal behind the leading marksman in the division, Nottingham Forest’s Britt Assombalonga, going into today’s Ewood Park clash with Sheffield Wednesday (3pm).

Gestede, who has scored 11 times this season and six in his last six appearances, admits it would be a huge honour to come out on top of the pile.

But he insists he would happily see the goals dry up if it meant getting a second shot at the Premier League.

Gestede, who was part of Cardiff City’s title-winning squad in 2012-13, said: “I don’t set any targets, I take it one game after each other and then see where I’m at.

“It would be a good feeling to be the top scorer but it would be an even better feeling if I’m not and we go up.

“Of course it’s important for a striker to score but I’m not focused on being top-scorer, it is not everything.”

Gestede, along with strike-partner Jordan Rhodes, will be among the favourites to win the Golden Boot.

He has netted 23 goals in 39 games since he made a permanent £200,000 move to Rovers in January from Cardiff.

But the Benin international, who this week missed out on the Championship player of the month prize, is unsatisfied with his form outside of the penalty box.

“I think I was better last season on the pitch with the way I played and I need to get it back,” said Gestede.

“But I score goals so it’s good for the team and it’s good for me.”

Gestede’s injury-time equaliser in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough stretched resilient Rovers’ unbeaten run to nine matches and meant, of the 31 points they have won this season, 14 have come from losing positions.

Gestede said: “In the last few games we haven’t played our game – less passes maybe – but we’ve still got the points.

“So if we improve this it will better for us and it will bring better results.”

Rovers boss Bowyer, whose side sit seventh, four points off table-topping Derby County, also believes there is room for improvement.

He said: “It’s up to us to continue with the spirit we’ve shown and the character we’ve shown but also improve on some of the performances we’ve put out recently.

“We feel as a group we can be better with the ball and that’s not to take away from the character.”

Rovers are on three-game winning run at home.

But this afternoon’s opponents boast the fourth best away record in the division, losing just one of their nine matches on their travels and keeping five clean sheets.

Bowyer said: “Sheffield Wednesday haven’t conceded many goals and Stuart Gray has got them well drilled.

“They do pose a threat going forward, they’ve got some pace in wide areas, and they’ve got a big targetman like ourselves.

“We’re fully aware of the challenge but it’s about us raising the standards of our performances and putting demands on the players to go up another level.

“I feel that from last Saturday we can go up another level.”