Assistant manager Gavin Strachan praised the players’ commitment in Rovers’ narrow loss to Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Will Grigg’s second-half goal was enough to give the Latics all three points, which handed them the Sky Bet League One title, and Strachan hoped his side had earned Wigan’s respect for their battling display.
“The players did the things the manager wanted and we ran a really good team very close, we made them work hard for their victory and it was a counter-attack goal that did us in the end,” he said.
“Congratulations to Wigan on winning the title, they thoroughly deserved it, and I hope we earned their respect by putting in the kind of performance that we did.
“The objective at the start of the season was to cement our place in the league and we have done that, we wanted to develop some of the existing players and bring in some new faces as well.”
Rovers ended the season in 15th position, and Strachan thanked the Rovers fans for their support throughout the campaign.
“Some of the young players in the squad have done really well, you look at the likes of Niall Mason and Alfie Beestin to name a few, and it is our job to make sure they take it one step further next season,” he added.
“The fans have been excellent this season, they have stuck with us through some of the tougher times, and they have always been behind us.
“We could feel that, in the last away game of the season and against Wigan as well, they have helped the younger players and they have helped us achieve our objectives over the season.”