ROVERS chalked up another impressive victory in Premier League 2 Division Two as they thrashed Fulham 4-0 at Leyland.

Callum Wright and Joe Nuttall scored in the first half, with Joe Rankin-Costello and Lewis Mansell netting after the break in another excellent display from Damien Johnson’s side.

Despite being forced in to several changes, they bossed the game for the most part, to claim a fourth win in six league outings so far this season.

It was a much changed Rovers side, with Willem Tomlinson and Jack Doyle not involved through injury, while Joe Grayson and Lewis Hardcastle were both suspended.

That saw Ben Paton and John Buckley come in to the side for their first starts at this level, with Connor Thomson also coming in to the starting line-up.

Rovers moved away from their usual back three, with Lewis Travis, who was on the bench for the first-team at Shrewsbury, operating in central midfield alongside Buckley in a 4-2-3-1.

Buckley had the game’s first shot, with three minutes on the watch, but after a promising break through the middle of the pitch, he dragged his effort wide of the target from 25 yards.

It was a bright start from Rovers, with Joe Nuttall picking up a neat throughball from Joe Rankin-Costello, only to find the gloves of Magnus Norman with his shot from the angle in the seventh minute.

But there was nothing the keeper could do three minutes later when he was beaten by a stunning goal from Callum Wright. Picking the ball up just inside the Fulham half when drifting in from the left, he drove towards the box before unleashing a 25-yarder strike which nestled in the top corner.

And he almost had a second within a minute, pouncing on a loose ball near the edge of the Fulham area, only for Norman to deny his effort at the near post.

Rovers thought they had doubled their lead in the 14th minute, when Nuttall fired home from a Travis centre at the end of a counter-attacking move, only to be flagged offside in what looked a harsh decision.

Although a much changed side, Rovers were by far the stronger, and another excellent move down the left, involving the lively Wright, ended with Nuttall shooting goalwards on the turn, only for Norman to be well placed to deny him.

Rovers would finally get the second goal that their dominance deserved, with Nuttall scoring his ninth of the campaign just after the half hour mark.  A ball over the top from Wright caused confusion in the Fulham defence, with Nuttall running on to the loose ball and lobbing the ball over the advancing keeper.

Nuttall received lengthy treatment after colliding with the goalkeeper, who was cautioned, and while the striker was able to walk off the pitch after being helped to his feet, that would be the end of his night as he was replaced by Lewis Mansell.

Moments later came another serious injury, with Fulham attacker Isaac Pearce receiving extensive treatment following a collision with Rovers goalkeeper Andrew Fisher.  He was stretchered off, with a neck brace on, leading to 14 minutes time added on at the end of the first half.

Eleven minutes in to them, Fisher made his first save of the night, denying Rada Soares’ near-post effort with his feet as the visitors made a rare foray forward.

Three minutes in to the second half, Rovers forced another save out of Norman, with Joe Rankin-Costello going alone rather than slip in Mansell, only to be denied by the Fulham keeper.

Rovers would get their third, 11 minutes in to the second half as Rankin-Costello scored his sixth of the season finishing off a fine move which started deep in their own half. The impressive Travis picked it up off goalkeeper Fisher, played in to Rankin-Costello who made his move in to the box after playing out wide to Connor Thomson, just in time to sweep home the cross at the near post.

Fulham’s best chance of the game came on the hour mark when Moritz Jenz broke the offside trap, but Fisher was quickly off his line to palm his effort to safety.  Rovers immediately broke up the other end, with Norman having to be alert to race off his line to deny Wright who had been played in by Rankin-Costello.

Rovers didn’t have to wait long to get their fourth however, which came midway through the second half. Buckley found Wright on the left, and his cross to the far post found Mansell who rose highest to nod in from close range.

Fisher was having to remain alert in the Rovers goal however, denying Elijah Adebyo’s effort with his feet, before Travis got back to block the follow up.

To their credit, Fulham kept plugging away, but Rovers continued to look a threat on the counter-attack, with Rankin-Costello firing just over the bar at the end of another quick break 10 minutes from time.

Rovers poured forward in the latter stages, in search of a fifth, with Jack Evans forcing another save out of Norman following another Thomson cross from the right.

And they should have had a fifth moments before the end, only for Rankin-Costello to smash a penalty off the crossbar after substitutes Evans and Jack Vale linked up in the box before the latter was fouled.

Rovers: Fisher, Thomson, Paton, Travis, C Doyle, Platt, Mols, Buckley (Evans, 72), Nuttall (Mansell, 35) Rankin-Costello, Wright (Vale, 72)

Subs: Carter, Albinson

Fulham: Norman, Jenz, Soares (Ensole, 63), Edun, Davies, Atkinson, De La Torre (Nabay, 63), O’Riley, Adebayo, Pearce (Kewietniewski, 45), Thorsteinsson

Subs: Ashby-Hammond