Blackburn Rovers supporters will be tired of hearing it, but once again inconsistent is the best adjective to describe their latest season in the Championship.

After missing out on the playoffs by just a couple of points in 2013-14, the Lancashire side took a slight step back in 2014-15.

Gary Bowyer kept the majority of his squad intact and felt that they would be able to challenge for the top six, but in the end they fell short by finishing a place lower and five points worse off than the previous campaign.

Although Bowyer has steadied the Rovers ship in the last two terms, the board will feel that they have a squad capable of making the playoffs and there will be plenty of pressure on the team to improve in 2015-16.

Five key results

Blackburn 3-2 Bournemouth, August 23, 2014: After failing to win their first two home games of the season, Blackburn proved that they could mix it with the best teams in the league by blowing away the Cherries in the first half. Goals from Jordan Rhodes, Grant Hanley and Rudy Gestede inside 25 minutes gave the hosts an unassailable lead. Bournemouth scored twice late on, but they couldn't complete the turnaround as Blackburn inflicted a first away defeat on Eddie Howe's side. Bournemouth went on to become champions, but they couldn't beat Rovers in either meeting as a 0-0 draw followed in the February reverse.

Nottingham Forest 1-3 Blackburn, October 25, 2014: After no wins in four games between late September and mid-October, Rovers had dropped into the bottom half of the table. They ended their winless run with a narrow victory at home to Birmingham City, but then faced a tough trip to Forest, who were unbeaten at home. The hosts led at half time, but Blackburn stunned the City Ground with three goals in 11 second-half minutes. Gestede and Rhodes were again both on the scoresheet, with Rhodes's sealer 13 minutes from time a fantastic finish after neat footwork in the area. It was the second game of a seven-match unbeaten run that saw Bowyer's men move into the playoff places.

Blackburn 3-1 Swansea City, January 24, 2015:

That seven-game streak was followed by a run of just one win in nine either side of New Year. Bowyer's side had dropped 11 points behind the playoffs, but they were enjoying themselves in the FA Cup. After seeing off fellow Championship side Charlton Athletic in the third round, next was a visit from Premier League outfit Swansea. Despite being hammered 5-0 by Chelsea the week before, Swansea were still heavy favourites but their cause was dealt a blow inside the first 10 minutes when Kyle Bartley was sent off. They were a man light, but Swansea took the lead midway through the first half through Gylfi Sigurdsson. Moments later Blackburn were level through Chris Taylor and they went on to dump Swansea out thanks to a pair of goals inside the final 15 minutes by Gestede and Craig Conway.

Blackburn 4-1 Stoke City, February 14, 2015: The win over Swansea sparked a run of four straight home wins, the last of which was another Premier League scalp in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Once again the top-flight side took the lead at Ewood Park as Peter Crouch headed home in the 10th minute, but that would be all Stoke managed. Joshua King, who has now been poached by Bournemouth, scored a memorable 19-minute hat-trick before Gestede put the icing on the cake with a 55th-minute penalty that completed a rapid turnaround after Geoff Cameron had been sent off in first-half stoppage time. Blackburn went on to draw Liverpool in the quarter-finals and were narrowly beaten 1-0 over two legs by the Reds.

Leeds United 0-3 Blackburn, April 4, 2015: Back-to-back defeats to finish March saw Rovers' faint hopes of squeezing into the playoffs all but extinguished. With the second leg against Liverpool looming three days later, many expected it to be three defeats in a row when Blackburn travelled to face a Leeds side unbeaten in five. However, Bowyer's men turned on the style in the second half with three goals in less than 20 minutes as Cairney, Rhodes and Jay Spearing found the net to silence the Elland Road faithful.

Best Player - Rudy Gestede

The mighty Beninese striker had by far his best year as a professional footballer, finishing one goal clear of Rhodes in the club's scoring charts.

In total, Gestede struck 22 goals in 44 appearances, but it wasn't just about finding the net. He is a monster in the air and would give any defence in the league plenty of problems week in, week out with his aerial prowess.

His form throughout the campaign has led to several links to clubs in the Premier League and he is now arguably more sought after than strike partner Rhodes, who is much more proven at this level. Gestede still has two years left on his contract, so any potential suitors are likely to have to part with upwards of £5m to prise him away from Ewood.

Most Improved Player - Marcus Olsson

Recently won the club's own Player of the Season gong for his consistency throughout the year. The fans at Ewood highly rate the Swedish left-back, who started 45 games this season - more than anyone else.

The fact that he beat Gestede to the fans' award shows just how much he has improved considering he made just 37 total appearances in the previous two seasons.

Best Signing - Shane Duffy

Blackburn were one of the least active teams in the transfer market throughout last season. Last summer they only added three players, but one of those was Irishman Duffy from Everton for around £400,000.

He went on to make 22 appearances before his season was cut short in February with a serious knee issue. He is on course to return to full fitness ahead of the 2015-16 campaign and that will be a big boost to Bowyer and Rovers supporters as he was one of their steadiest performers in defence during the first half of last term.

Best Goal - Tom Cairney vs. Norwich City

A stunning volley that came far too early in the match for Blackburn - 41 seconds to be exact. Rovers were on the back foot at Carrow Road for the remaining 89 minutes and ended up losing 3-1, but Cairney's dipper was a strike well worth watching again.

Must Do Better - Corry Evans

Across the board Blackburn need to sort out their week-to-week stability, but if you had to pick out one player who didn't quite perform as well as expected in 2014-15, it might be Evans.

The central midfielder's one goal was a cracker at Wigan Athletic, but he needs to add more goals to his game after finding the net more often as a youngster in the Championship with former club Hull City.

Now 24, the Northern Ireland international will hope to push on next season and contribute more at both ends of the pitch.

End-of-season grade: C

The emergence of Gestede as one of the league's best strikers and the run to the FA Cup quarter-finals were the highlights, but promotion back to the Premier League is what Blackburn want and they were never quite in touch with the promotion race.

They are consistently inconsistent and if they lose the likes of Gestede and Rhodes this summer, it is hard to see them becoming a real contender for promotion next season.

Bowyer will hope that he can keep one or both of his deadly strike duo and holding on to menacing wing pair Ben Marshall and Conway is also a top priority.

Blackburn were extremely quiet in the market a year ago, but that will probably need to change if they are to bolster their ranks and become a true top-six candidate.