- by Chris Mortley

Rovers finally get their Championship season underway this weekend, taking on Darren Ferguson's Preston North End in the opening fixture of the 2010/11 season.

Rovers have not emerged from a clash against Preston with a win since returning to The Championship in 2008 and midfielder James Coppinger has emphasised the difficulty of the test ahead whilst stressing the importance of a good start to life back in the swing of competitive league football.

"A good start is massively important, especially from what we experienced last season" Coppinger told RoversPlayer.

"I think that the first ten games is a good marker. After the first ten games, it breeds confidence and you can go into the rest of the season feeling good about yourselves and you can build on it. We need something to build on after the first ten games. You're not going to win anything in the first game, but you can build on it."

Coppinger, who netted the game's only goal in the final pre-season encounter against Sheffield Wednesday, admits that analysing Saturday's opponents in Preston North End is a tough ask - but believes that a former Rovers player could be the man that Coppinger and the team need to keep quiet.

"Preston normally play a 4-4-2 and if they do, we know what to expect after last season. There are a few new faces in there and it's going to be hard. I remember the first game of last season, against Watford. It was absolutely boiling and everybody found it difficult. The longer the game went on, the more open the game became. We're looking forward to it and hopefully we can stamp our authority on the game and pass the ball around well."

"I think that Chris Brown, who was at Doncaster, is a big figure for them. They also have Matty James from Manchester United in midfield and they have signed Craig Morgan at the back. I think they have a lot of strength in depth and they are good at what they do, but hopefully we can play our game and pass the ball and exploit spaces."