ROVERS: Inept at the Deep end!

WHEN Roy Hodgson pins up the team sheet for the next few matches, there is unlikely to be a queue of dissatisfied players outside his door demanding to know why they have not been included.

If there is, he should hand each and every one of them a personal copy of the video of last night's Coca-Cola Cup non-event at Deepdale with orders not to return until they have digested every moment.

The queue, I guarantee, will rapidly disappear into oblivion which is where much of this Blackburn Rovers performance belonged.

It's fair to say the fizzy-pop cup went completely flat as far as Rovers were concerned.

With the luxury of a six-goal lead in the bank, the Ewood boss was able to select just three players who had started the Premiership game against Coventry on Sunday and say to the rest - okay show me why you should be in the first team.

The response, for the most part, was negligible and cannot be excused by the fact that there were so many changes.

Rovers still fielded SEVEN internationals - though you wouldn't have guessed it from a performance which, in some respects, was unacceptable.

The scoreline, really, was immaterial. Rovers knew they were through to the third round by virtue of their 6-0 victory at Ewood in the first leg. So too did Preston.

What does amaze me is that players apparently so eager to stake a claim for a first team spot could seem so inept.

Without wanting to highlight one individual's misfortunes, it's impossible not to look at the two golden chances squandered by Per Pedersen as typical of Rovers' general contribution on the night. The Dane could do nothing right, especially in the third minute when James Beattie set him up with a great opportunity and he failed even to hit the target.

Then, 15 minutes from time, when there was a lot of Rovers possession and a little pressure on the Preston defence, things went from bad to worse for Pedersen, who missed an absolute sitter.

Defensively, they weren't bad at all, especially in the centre where Tore Pedersen was solid enough and Chris Coleman, playing his first full game for a year, also emerged with credit.

But they were sadly lacking in other aspects of the game.

There was little if any bite or creativity in the centre of midfield, though Jason Wilcox worked hard enough without achieving too much.

And, up front, there was scarcely any threat to a Preston team who looked solid and respectable without ever suggesting they were going to grab a hatful of goals.

Even after such an abysmal show, Rovers will reflect on the chances they had to take at least a draw from the game.

But perhaps it was right that they should lose it. They certainly didn't deserve to win and it must have been such a bitter disappointment for their travelling fans, stood on the terracing in pouring rain with so little to cheer.

Those supporters really did deserve sympathy.

In the first half, Rovers couldn't even pass the ball to each other on a regular basis and there was nothing like enough movement to disturb Preston. North End must have been surprised at how comfortable they were at the back and in midfield after some early nervousness in their ranks and the recent experience of that Ewood mauling.

One major difference, of course, was that Chris Sutton and Martin Dahlin led them a dance at Ewood, while Pedersen and Beattie made no impression at all last night.

Yet it could have been so different if Pedersen had accepted the chance set up by a simple pass from Beattie so early in the game.

It stemmed from a howler by Colin Murdock but, with time and space, the Dane could only shoot tamely wide.

Then there was an awful mix-up between Michael Jackson and his keeper, from which Preston escaped to take the lead in their first real attack in the 16th minute.

What a well-taken goal it was too.

Dean Barrick started the move on the left, passed to Mark Rankine and he, in turn, played the ball out to Michael Appleton on the right.

The cross eluded everyone and somehow found its way back to Barrick advancing to the penalty area on the left.

He unleashed a terrific shot across Tim Flowers and inside the far post for a brilliant finish.

In nearly seven minutes of first-half stoppage time, Flowers failed to hold a shot from Ryan Kidd and ex-Rovers trainee Michael Holt twanged the crossbar with the follow-up.

Then Beattie finally caused some discomfort in the Preston defensive ranks with a shot that brought a good save.

But Rovers could not have been very happy with their first half contribution. It didn't get much better after the break with something of a stand-off situation but Rovers should have equalised in the 75th minute.

Pedersen was clean through with time to light a cigar and savour the moment but he fluffed the chance and allowed Teuvo Moilanen to save.

Rovers had the upper hand but without ever convincing anyone they were going to equalise, a strangely subdued Billy McKinlay going closest with a shot saved by the keeper.

Preston's larger-than-life mascot, the Deepdale Duck, pranced around the perimeter of the pitch in the pouring rain but there was little for Rovers fans or, I suspect, the manager to laugh about.

North End boss Gary Peters was probably trying to boost his own players by claiming this Rovers side would hold their own in the Premiership.

I certainly wouldn't bet on it, nor would most people at Deepdale last night.

Bring on the first team - please.

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