Rovers Under-21s booked their place in the final of the LFA Senior Cup with a 4-2 win against a strong Bolton Wanderers side.
Aodhan Doherty and Jayden Sergeant both bagged braces at Brockhall as Gregory Vignal’s side set up a showdown with Burnley next week.
Vignal named a young side, with none of the first-team players returning from injury involved. However, the likes of Doherty, Brandon Powell, Igor Tyjon and Valentin Joseph have spent time around the senior squad.
Bolton’s line-up included first team trio John McAtee, Xavier Simons and Richard Taylor. Andy Taylor, who began his playing career at Rovers, was the main in the dugout.
Rovers dealt the first blow when Doherty pounced on a defensive error to curl a lovely finish past Luke Lomax.
Lewis Temple thought he had found an equaliser with a header from a corner, but Felix Goddard made a good reaction save above his head.
Bolton got back on level terms from the resulting corner, with Taylor getting up highest and planting a header past Goddard.
Powell broke into the box with a mazy run but couldn’t keep his strike down as Rovers looked to regain the lead.
Vignal’s youngsters got back in front after good play by Osman Kamara down the left wing to pick out Doherty, who slotted home to double his tally.
Powell continued to cause problems, forcing Lomax into a smart stop to push away a skidding strike from the edge of the area.
At the other end, McAtee curled a free kick over the bar and Oliver Smith was inches away from nodding home Taylor’s inviting cross from deep.
Kamara nearly doubled the lead on the stroke of half time, cutting in from the left and bending an effort just wide.
But McAtee got Bolton back level with one of the last touches of the half, latching onto Simons’ pass and firing a ruthless strike past Goddard into the bottom corner.
Ex-Luton forward McAtee picked up where he left off in the second half, forcing the goalkeeper into another save low to his right.
Simons could have put the visitors in front after a dangerous attack down the left wing involving Taylor and Tobey Ritchie, but the midfielder missed the target with his volley.
It felt like the next goal would be crucial and it went Rovers’ way. Bolton lost possession cheaply on the edge of their own box, allowing Sergeant to sweep home at the second attempt after a good initial save by Lomax.
The fourth goal game in the latter stages and it was Sergeant again, drilling home an accurate finish from a tight angle.
