It has been a disappointing start to the season for Tony Mowbray and Blackburn Rovers.

After their 15th-place finish in last season, they will undoubtedly have been hoping to kick on in the 2018/19 campaign but they have struggled to do that so far.

Mowbray's side are 18th in the Championship, just five points above the drop zone, and with just one win in their last eight games, there has to be serious concern about getting dragged into the relegation dogfight.

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The Blackburn boss will be hoping his side can kick-start their season after the international break and if they're going to do that, Mowbray will need some strong contributions from his key players.

With that in mind, here are five Blackburn players that are invaluable to Mowbray...

The 35-year-old arrived in the summer as a free agent and has quickly become a key attacking player for Mowbray's side.

Downing is Blackburn's joint-highest provider of assists, with three, and has contributed by far the highest number of key passes in the squad, according to Whoscored.

The Brighton loanee had a tough task stepping into the shoes of impressive shot-stopper David Raya, who left to join Brentford in the summer, but has made a strong start, including making some big saves to help secure victories–such as in the victory against Sheffield Wednesday.

Walton has been a mainstay in the Rovers side so far and looks set to be a vital player for Mowbray as the season wears on.

The right-back has started every Championship game so far for Blackburn and has been a key contributor both defensively and going forward.

Bennett is the joint-top provider of assists, with three, and has also made the second-most tackles in the squad, according to Whoscored.

Mowbray has already lost one of his full-backs to injury this season, Greg Cunningham, making the 30-year-old even more valuable to him.

With Charlie Mulgrew joining Wigan Athletic on transfer deadline day, Derrick Williams has become even more important to Mowbray's side.

The centre-back has been solid defensively for Rovers but he offers so much more than that to the side. The 26-year-old is a leader at the back, often sets the tempo in the passing game (having made the most passes in the squad), and has been a threat from set pieces–scoring three times.

There was only ever going to be one man at the top of this list. Dack remains Blackburn's key playmaker and their star man.

The 25-year-old was linked away from the club in the summer but Rovers kept hold of him and the attacking midfield has been a bright spark once again–grabbing six goals and three assists in all competitions.

You feel if Mowbray's side are going to climb back up the table they will need Dack to repeat the sort of production he showed last season when he contributed 18 goals and 10 assists.