Paul Dickov has warned newly anointed senior players Jack McKay and Liam Mandeville that the hard work for them starts now.
The two strikers were handed two year professional contracts last week as a reward for their goalscoring efforts as part of the Rovers youth team and development squad.
But Dickov says the pair must be ready to put the hard yards in if they are to have a future in the professional game.
“The hard work starts now for them,” Dickov told the Star.
“There’s no point in earning your pro contract and resting on your laurels.
“We’ll be making sure they kick on now.
“But the contracts are thoroughly deserved for both of them.
“They’re two kids that impressed us a lot last year.
“Then they’ve come in pre-season and done well with the youth team and done fantastically well stepping up with the development squad.
“We’ve had them training in and around the first team which is something we’re trying to do more of.
“I’ve said all along, going forward for this club not just for the next couple of months or just this season, we need to integrate young players into the first team as quickly as we can because they’re only going to benefit from it.”
McKay – twin brother of Rovers defender Paul – has come off the bench for Rovers in their last two League One matches.
Mandeville has yet to feature in a senior matchday squad for Rovers.
Dickov said: “They’re both talented boys and different kinds of players.
“Jack’s a goalscorer who holds the ball up, plays off the shoulder and sniffs things out in and around the box.
“Liam is a very clever player who plays in the whole and finds little pockets of space.
“They both deserve their deals because they’ve been excellent.”