AS Ewood buzzed with anticipation at the prospect of Rovers' first major final in 42 years, there was just one thing missing from the celebrations -- the smiling face of the late Jack Walker.

For it was always Jack's wish to lead his beloved Rovers into a major Cup final after he seized control of the club at the start of the 1990s.

And a jubilant Graeme Souness last night turned those dreams into reality as brilliant Blackburn showed the kind of steel Mr Walker made his fortune from by finally seeing off a spirited Sheffield Wednesday.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Rovers looked home and hosed after two goals in the space of three first half minutes had put them 4-1 up on aggregate.

However, instead of cruising past the winning past with something to spare, the second half suddenly developed into an almighty scrap as skipper Garry Flitcroft saw red for a reckless two-footed tackle.

And worst was to follow when Stig Bjornebye then needlessly conceded a penalty five minutes later to hand the visitors an unexpected lifeline.

Suddenly, panic set in and it was all hands to the pump.

But, if the side that Souness has built has one thing in abundance then it's spirit, and they finally steadied the nerves with a late double salvo to seal a trip to Cardiff.

Cue the scenes of unbridled joy and, as Souness tucked into a celebratory glass of red wine, he no doubt made a quiet toast to an absent friend.

"It's just a shame Jack can't be sitting in the front row of the directors box at Cardiff on February 24 because it was always his dream to see Rovers play in a major Cup final," said Souness.

"But I'm sure his family will be well represented and we'll have a real go for him and all our supporters because that's the type of team we are.

"I know Jack would have enjoyed a night like tonight and he'll be up there somewhere having an expensive glass of chardonnay, I'm sure bedcause this isn't just a good night for us, it's a great night.

"You don't get to a Cup final very often in your career so I guess you could say I'm 'well chuffed.'

"It's great for our fans because the vast majority won't have been to a Cup final before to see their team play.

"So I'm delighted that we've now made that possible for them."

The last time Rovers appeared in a major final, Neil Armstrong had yet to step foot on the moon and no-one had ever heard of The Beatles.

So it was perhaps fitting that Ewood's own answer to the fab four -- Matt Jansen, Damien Duff, Andy Cole and Craig Hignett -- fired the goals to emulate the achievements of that distinguished class of 1960.

But the home side had heroes in every department on a night which called for everyone to stand up and be counted, because what Wednesday lacked in quality, they certainly made up for in spirit as they chased every lost cause as if their lives depended on it.

Rovers had to match that level of commitment or perish in the face of the visitors' aerial bombardment.

But, thankfully, Souness's troops were up for the challenge, and once they won the war, their superior quality came shining through.

Tugay, once again, was a class act in midfield, caressing the ball around Ewood with all the nonchalance of a world class player.

And judging by the way he partied with the crowd on the final whistle, does anyone wear the blue and white halves with more passion?

But what really tipped the balance in Rovers' favour was the quality of movement and link-up play between Jansen and Cole in attack.

Ewood's new deadly duo were only thrown together a month ago but already they seem to have developed an almost telepathic understanding.

And the way they terrorised Wednesday's leaky defence suggests Rovers should have no worries in avoiding the drop.

However, the one major down-side of the night was the dismissal of Flitcroft, who is now in danger of missing the final.

The tough-tackling skipper's enthusiasm ultimately got the better of him when he launched himself into a two-footed challenge on Wednesday midfielder Trond Soltvedt in the 53rd minute.

TV replays later suggested that he'd won the ball and Rovers may well appeal after studying video evidence.

But it was a reckless tackle, nevertheless, and one that didn't need to be made with the result effectively in the bag.

Wednesday, who adopted a 4-5-1 formation in a bid to stifle the midfield, made a bright enough start as the gangly Gerald Sibon shot wide and then forced a breathtaking save from Brad Friedel with a 25-yard blockbuster.

But Rovers gradually settled down and began to ask the questions as Jansen fired straight at stand-in keeper Paul Heald before seeing another effort trickle wide.

However, the former England Under 21 international wasn't to be denied and he finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute.

Hignett swung over a corner from the left which Martin Taylor turned against the post and there was Jansen to blast home the rebound from all of four yards.

Three minutes later and it was 2-0 as Rovers carved out a super second.

Cole and Jansen were both involved in the build-up before Tugay fed the overlapping Duff whose low drive flew past Heald into the far corner.

At that point, it looked a case of 'how many?' as shots rained in on Heald's goal but Flitcroft's sending off put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Suddenly, the nerves started jangling and Wednesday sensed the chance of a comeback when Bjornebye handled a corner from Alan Quinn in the 58th minute which allowed Efan Ekoku to pull one back from the spot.

An uncomfortable 10 minutes followed and that anxiety grew as Cole then missed two golden chances to wrap things up before he finally bagged the goal his performance deserved with eight minutes left.

Duff was the orchestrator with a sublime cross from the left and Cole slammed the ball past Heald in a blur for his third goal in five games.

There was still a twist in the tale as Soltvedt rose to power home a Quinn cross to make it 3-2 with six minutes left.

But it was left to Hignett to ice Rovers' cake in the 88th minute when he pounced on a lucky ricochet to slam home his fifth goal in as many starts.

Uncle Jack would have been so proud!

ROVERS 4 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 2 (Rovers win 6-3 on aggregate)

Jansen 35, Duff 38, Cole 82, Hignett 88; Ekoku (p) 58, Soltvedt 84

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