John McAtee was on target but Wanderers’ fightback was in vain as the Whites lost their grip on the LFA Senior Cup, writes Pete Oliver.
McAtee fired Wanderers level for the second time in the tie just before the break following an initial equaliser from first-team colleague Richard Taylor.
But after dominating the opening period of the second half, the young Whites again paid the price for poor defending as they allowed Blackburn to recover with two late goals to book their place in next week’s final against Burnley’s U21s.
Andy Taylor’s side therefore missed out on the chance to try and repeat last season’s final success against the Clarets as the B Team campaign ended on a disappointing note.
It shouldn’t have been that way once Wanderers – who also gave game time to midfielder Xavier Simons ahead of their League One play-off campaign – had repaired the early damage in the semi-final meeting at Brockhall.
Winger Aodhan Doherty, who made his first-team breakthrough for Rovers earlier this season, was twice gifted goals either side of a leveller from the impressive Taylor, who nodded in a corner from Toby Ritchie after Lewis Temple had seen an effort of his own tipped over.
Temple had not been at his best at the other end of the pitch but Wanderers went into half-time level thanks to McAtee, who made the most of his sharpener ahead of the promotion push with an explosive finish from the edge of the box.
Wanderers then switched to a wing-back formation and barely let the home side out of their half for the for the first 30 minutes of the second period.
McAtee went close to a second and Simons sent a side-footed volley just over the top from close in but the Whites didn’t make the most of their dominance and some good positions around the penalty area and paid price late on.
More sloppy defending and a poor clearance from goalkeeper Luke Lomax allowed Rovers’ substitute Jayden Sergeant to fire Blackburn back in front at the second attempt and the Rovers’ substitute then made sure of their passage through when he buried another chance with three minutes to go to end Wanderers’ hopes.
“We should have won that. That's what I said to the players at the end. I'm gutted for you, but I'm also annoyed with you,” said disappointed B Team boss Taylor.
“In the second half, once we changed the shape and everything, we were miles ahead and in control of the game. But you cannot concede such poor goals. Two were absolute gifts and then there were a couple more that shouldn’t go in.
“I said to them; ‘I can't fault your effort. I can't fault your desire to try and win the game’. But the quality in the final third and decision-making in our own third, really, just cost us the game big-time and it’s a shame to finish like that.”
Wanderers: Lomax, Smith, Temple, Taylor, Oliver (Mawditt 17), Simons (Irwin 60), Sharples-Ahmed, McAtee (Lewis 60), Leigh (Grayson HT), Lawrence, Ritchie. Substitutes: Shillinglaw, O’Neill.
Blackburn: Goddard, Wilkinson, Pates, Decandia, Davies, Dunn, Doherty (Ball 81), Powell (Dlamini 76), Joseph, Tyjon, Kamara (Sergeant 72). Substitutes: McIlroy, Khan.