Preston North End 1 Blackburn Rovers 3: Lancashire Senior Cup KO for Lilywhites

North End fielded a side which included Theo Carroll and first-year scholar George Gryba, who had both been unused substitutes on the first-team bench in last weekend’s game at Portsmouth.

Seventeen-year-old striker Shay Reid, who was recently signed from Cliftonville, was playing his last game for North End before joining up with the Republic of Ireland Under-19s squad for their two friendly games with France at the Clarefontaine National Sports Centre during this weekend’s international break.

Rovers fielded full-back Jack Batty, who had spent part of last season in League Two on loan at Accrington Stanley, as well as first-year scholar Issac Dunn, who had made his Under-21s debut at the age of 16. He is the son of their former crowd favourite and ex-England international David Dunn.

Rovers had the first clear-cut chance of the game shortly after the 10-minute mark but centre-forward Joe Boggan skied his shot high over the bar from the middle of the goal, after Harrison Wood had cut back a low cross from the wing.

North End were indebted to their keeper Li Bau Stowell in making a couple of diving saves in the space of as many minutes to keep the scores level.

However the young shot stopper was powerless to save James Edmondson's well=struck penalty, which was given when Carroll tripped Patrik Farkas in the area four minutes before half-time.

PNE began the second half in the ascendancy and full-back Jonny Brindle shot into the side netting during a short period of early pressure.

Preston remained on the front foot and Carroll, after intercepting the ball in the middle of the park, played in Reid whose low drive was saved by Solomon Honour.

Rovers did double their advantage in the 61st minute, when their captain Edmondson played the ball through for Boggan who lifted his shot over Stowell.

Rovers substitute Harvey Pates missed a golden opportunity to put the tie to bed when he fired over from inside the box.

They also forced the impressive Stowell into saving a shot from Boggan with his foot when he was through on goal.

At the other end, Honour made a brilliant point-blank save from Wilson as North End pushed more bodies up front in a bid to salvage something from the tie.

Three minutes from time their pressing paid off as they pulled a goal back, when Brindle floated a free-kick into the penalty area, which the Rovers defence failed to clear, leaving Max Wilson free to stab the loose ball into the net from close range.

Any hopes of a late comeback though were soon dashed when, in the first of six stoppage-time minutes, Valentin Joseph prodded in a rebound from close range after Stowell had blocked fellow substitute Zack Stritch’s initial effort, to safely secure Rovers’ passage into the next round.

NORTH END: Stowell; Blake, Nolan, Brindle, Snowball; Robinson (Forwood 69), Carroll, Wilson; Felipe (Tonkin 76), Gryba, Reid (Ayodele 62). Subs (not used): Milne, Whalley, Gerrard, Haji.