DALLAS was probably the most successful American TV export to hit these shores.

And the Texan city has now been blessed with a dramatic British soap opera of its own courtesy of the Blackburn Rovers Academy.

The Brockhall Boys' incredible season has continued apace on the other side of the Atlantic this week as they reached the Dallas Cup semi-finals against all the odds.

No sooner had Rovers youngsters' brave run in the FA Youth Cup come to an end at the semi-final stage last weekend, another set of Academy lads set off on their own glory hunt.

The squad that flew out to Dallas began their campaign with a 1-0 win over the Costa Rican Under 20s, but were then beaten 3-0 by Mexican side Tigres to put their hopes of qualifying from the group stage in the balance.

They had the tough task of having to beat local lads Dallas Texas Rangers by three goals earlier this week to avoid being knocked out of the competition.

But this episode of Dallas had twists and turns JR Ewing and the gang would have been proud of as Rovers produced a sensational 4-1 victory.

In keeping with the bizarre events in the Champions League this week, in which Monaco and Deportivo La Coruna somehow managed to claw back three-goal deficits, Blackburn emulated them in style.

Omar Abdihila struck twice and Jemal Johnson, who hit the winner against the Costa Ricans, scored a terrific free kick to give his side that precious three-goal margin.

But it was snatched away when Steven Drench, who had flown out to join the squad following the Youth Cup exit, was strangely penalised for releasing the ball then picking it up again, despite not leaving the penalty area.

A bemused Rovers protested vehemently against the award of a free kick but their worst fears were realised when the ball ricocheted in to make it 3-1.

It was particularly galling for Drench, who deserved better after he saved a first half penalty when his side was leading 1-0.

However, there was one final act to play out before the curtain came down on Blackburn's American adventure, as Tony Kane scrambled in a late fourth to restore the three-goal lead and give Rovers a semi-final tie against Athletic Parnase from Brazil

Speaking to Ewood Beat from Dallas, assistant Academy manager Sean Kimberley said: "They showed tremendous character, especially when their goal went in because they went up to the other end and scored another.

"They have been terrific and the nice thing for the players now is they get to play at a stadium field in front of a bigger crowd.

"It's a learning experience for them and playing South American opposition makes it worthwhile.

"It has been boiling hot over here but there's been rain and thunder as well. It was like being back in Lancashire during our last game so that suited us."

As well as playing football, the boys have also enjoyed some tourist attractions, like the JFK Memorial museum in Dallas, and going to see a baseball game and rodeo.

The result of Rovers' semi-final was unknown as the Evening Telegraph went to press, see next week for an update. The squad fly home on Monday.

Players are: 1 Steven Drench, 2 James Hoyle, 3 Gary Rowntree, 4 Ian Black, 5 Alex Bruce, 6 Stuart Cumming, 7 Jerome Watt, 8 Andrew Reid, 9 Zaki Misbah, 10 Jemal Johnson, 11 Ryan Woods, 12 Tony Kane, 13 Francis Fielding, 14 Omar Abdihila, 15 William Johnson, 16 Adam Thomas, 17 Rostyn Griffiths, 18 Mark King.