Blackburn Rovers Welcome Back Ribeiro and Ohashi

Blackburn Rovers will head to Swansea City with two welcome sights back in their travelling party, as Yuri Ribeiro and Yuki Ohashi rejoin the squad after hamstring lay-offs.

Both are only fit enough for places on the bench, but for Tony Mowbray, simply having them back in the matchday group feels like a small victory after a bruising spell with muscle injuries.

“Yuri and Yuki are both going to travel and are both available for the bench, which is good news for us,” the Blackburn boss told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Ribeiro has missed the past month. Ohashi has been out for two. The pair have spent that time in the treatment room rather than on the grass, a frustrating stretch in a season that is already starting to test Blackburn’s depth.

Montgomery back, Jorgensen suffers fresh blow

There is another lift. Kristi Montgomery, absent from last week’s win over Wrexham, is in line to return after coming through training.

“Kristi's trained fully so fingers crossed there's no reaction with that,” Mowbray said, cautious but clearly encouraged.

The mood darkens, though, when it comes to Mathias Jorgensen. The defender is facing more time out after suffering a setback with his own hamstring problem earlier this month, just as he was edging towards full fitness.

“He's not travelling. I think as well as dealing with the injury, we need to deal with the psychological side with him,” Mowbray admitted.

Blackburn have opted to give Jorgensen a short break, time away from the grind to see his family and reset mentally after another cruel interruption.

“We've given him a few days to see his family and recover because it's been a pretty tough journey that he's had. Then to break down when he was on the cusp of getting back to full fitness is tough for him.

“Our thoughts are with him at the moment but hopefully it's only another three weeks or something like that and he'll be back on the grass again.”

So Blackburn travel to Swansea with two important reinforcements back in the frame, another edging closer, and one key figure forced to start all over again. In a Championship season that rarely pauses for breath, how they manage that balance could shape the weeks ahead.