Even with the five goals in three games scored by Adam Armstrong, even the most ardent Blackburn Rovers fan is unlikely to argue with Bradley Johnson's pipping his Ewood Park teammate as the Sky Bet Championship's Player of the Month for September.

Stepping into the heart of a three-man midfield for Tony Mowbray's side at the start of this season, Johnson has been quite simply outstanding.

Three dominant performances in the centre of the park from Johnson in September have helped Rovers to lay down an early marker that they see themselves as genuine contenders in the race for promotion this season, and that the rest of the division ought to be taking them seriously in that respect.

From an individual standpoint, the three goals netted by the midfielder mean he has already matched his tally from last season, with a rocket in a 4-0 thrashing of his former club Derby giving him the chance to make it a double on the awards front, after being nominated for September's Championship Goal of the Month.

Not only will that have been a hugely welcome run of performances from Johnson from his personal perspective, but for Rovers as a whole, the impact that the 33-year-old has made at the start of this season will be a huge relief.

With Lewis Travis, so often the midfield enforcer for Rovers in recent times, suffering a knee injury in a League Cup tie at Newcastle - after just one game of the league season - that looks set to keep him out of action for several months, the fact that Johnson has stepped into that role so effectively has no doubt been crucial to the club pushing on in the early promotion battle in spite of the absence of Travis.

But while Johnson can deservedly sit back over this international weekend and reflect on an excellent start to the season that even saw him handed the captain's armband for last week's stalemate with Cardiff, he more than anyone, should be well aware that he cannot afford to rest on his laurels after what he has done in the last few weeks.

It is worth remembering that, much like he has done this year, Johnson enjoyed a hugely impressive start to last season at Ewood Park following his move from Derby, even looking like Rovers' signing of the summer at that point.

That however, is something that did not last, with dips in both form and fitness hindering Johnson's attempts to really establish himself as a constant presence on the team sheet, and he ended the season having started just 25 of Rovers' 46 league games, with eight of those starts coming by the end of September 2019.

This time around, that is something that both Rovers and Johnson, will clearly be desperate to avoid a repeat of.

With Travis still set to be out of action for some time, Mowbray and co. may well need Johnson to continue in that role as the dominant force in midfield, and given the impact he has had at the start of the campaign, his ability to continue to do that, could be crucial in whether or not the Lancashire club can stay the course in the battle for a place in the Premier League.

Not only that, but Johnson will know that from that individual point of view, it may well be vital to his own career that he is able to maintain his recent form in a way he was somewhat unable to do 12 months ago.

This season has already seen Joe Rothwell and Lewis Holtby look far more at home since dropping into deeper roles in the centre of the park for Rovers, while academy graduate John Buckley is starting to show flashes of creativity and influence with long passes from deep when coming off the bench that could soon see him pushing for a starting spot once more.

Add to that the fact that Travis and Corry Evans should also return well before the season comes to an end, and there is more than enough competition to keep Johnson out of the side if he cannot maintain the level of performance he has shown in the early part of the campaign.

Should that happen, then that could create even bigger problems for Johnson, since he is not going to want to become a bit-part player this season especially, with his contract set to expire next summer, and the possibility that, at 33-years-old, helping Rovers to promotion could be his last chance to get another shot at the Premier League, since he is seemingly nearing the latter stages of his career.

The fact therefore, that Johnson has already equalled his goals tally from last season should at least be one source of encouragement for both him and Rovers, and given the club only fell out of the race for the play-offs right at the end of last season, you have to wonder what they might be able to achieve, if Johnson is able to maintain his form this time around.

Given the opportunities that could open up both for the club and the player, you would imagine that just about everyone associated with Blackburn Rovers, will be desperate to find out.