Blackburn Rovers are currently 20th in the Championship, 43 points behind leaders Coventry, with 42 goals scored and 56 conceded this season. Tony Mowbray has struggled with the decision to leave Hayden Carter out of his team, with Tom Atcheson getting the nod in the early stages of the season. The 26-year-old Carter was an unused substitute against Burton Albion and is seemingly vying with Atcheson for a spot on the right of Mowbray's centre-back partnership. Carter is Rovers' best defender, though has struggled with injuries in recent years. When fit, his impact on the team is obvious. Yet despite coming through pre-season unscathed, he is facing a fight to get into the side after the emergence of Atcheson. At 19, he is a major talent and needs game time to realise that potential. Relatively unprompted, Mowbray gave his support for Carter and also outlined why he's against a three-back formation.

What happened?

Why it matters for Blackburn Rovers ## What comes next? Mowbray admitted that it's difficult for him to leave Carter out, as he knows him well from his first time at the club. He thinks Carter is a top-six centre half in the league, a dominant man, a physical specimen. On the testing day when Mowbray first arrived, Carter was in front of everybody in the one-mile run. At six-foot-three, to be able to do that and shift that body weight is amazing. It's really harsh on him, and yet, Atcheson, in Mowbray's mind, is a young player who has got amazing qualities with the ball at his feet. Mowbray hasn't seen the goal back against Burton, but the coaching staff say he could have done better in certain aspects, so he'll watch it. There's the balance for Mowbray. He has discussed a back three, but doesn't really want to play one. He thinks, psychologically, the team would end up sinking in and sitting behind the ball and playing counter-attack football. Yet, in some games, they'll have to do that to frustrate the opposition, who are going to be, on paper, miles better than they are, and you have to learn to frustrate teams.