Rovers’ Carabao Cup adventure ended at the hands of Premier League opposition as a side showing 11 changes was beaten 4-1 at Ewood Park.

Scott Wharton levelled for Rovers just before half time on an eventful evening for the defender that saw him concede a penalty and be the unfortunate man to deflect Jesse Lingard’s free kick into the corner.

Taiwo Awonyi and Johnson added two more for the visitors late on, with Rovers now turning their attention to a busy Christmas period of Championship football.

Daniel Ayala missed out with a twisted ankle, while calf injuries kept out Hayden Carter and Jack Vale.

Vale is expected to return to training tomorrow and will be assessed along with Ayala, ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Sunderland.

Tyler Morton and Sam Gallagher were the first-team regulars not included in the matchday squad last night, while there was concern before the end as Tyrhys Dolan, himself a substitute, was forced off.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Three wins, five senior debuts handed out, a famous penalty shoot-out win and then defeat to Premier League side Nottingham Forest is Rovers’ Carabao Cup journey for 2022/23.

They will hope the Championship season has plenty more life left in it in the second half of the season, with Jon Dahl Tomasson showing where his priorities were as he made 11 changes.

It was always going to be a tough ask against a full-strength Forest side, with Aynsley Pears required to make a string of impressive stops, but that couldn’t stop the visitors enjoying an excellent return to action with a comprehensive victory.

Tomasson had rotated his squad for the three previous rounds, and did so again, with all 11 players that started against Norwich City at the weekend either dropping to the bench or not involved at all.

That saw Aynsley Pears, Adam Wharton and Dilan Markanday come in for their first starts since the round three win at West Ham United, while George Hirst and Ash Phillips were back in the side after a two-month absence.

Forest on the other hand, playing their first competitive game in six weeks, showed only four changes from their previous Premier League match.

That quality looked to be telling in the early stages, with Pears quickly into the action.

He saved with his feet from Brennan Johnson and was then quickly off his line to deny Taiwo Awonyi inside the opening 10 minutes as Rovers’ defensive line was breached too easily.

That was becoming a recurring theme, with Rovers also looking nervy in possession.

They were then punished in the 13th minute as Scott Wharton tripped Johnson who stepped up to send Pears the wrong way and reward Forest’s fast start.

It was from the right flank where the visitors were enjoying continued success, with Clinton Mola outnumbered and outpaced.

Phillips blocked well from Awonyi, with Pears then down low to save from Orel Mangala as Forest sensed the opportunity to put the game to bed in the opening quarter.

When Rovers did manage to get into the Forest half there were signs of encouragement, Dean Henderson showing good handling from a deflected Sam Szmodics cross, while a lively Dilan Markanday run ended with a shot wide of the near post.

Yet it was Pears who remained the busier of the two keepers, saving at his near post to deny Neco Williams, while his cross in the 33rd minute deflected narrowly wide of the post.

Though from the prospect of it being game over, it was very much game on as Rovers equalised in the final minute of the first half. It was created by one Wharton brother and scored by the other, as Scott atoned for giving away the penalty by heading in Adam’s free kick.

Even then Rovers had defending to do before the break, with Pears palming away Williams’ free kick while Remo Freuler fizzed a half volley narrowly over the top.

Tomasson sensed the need to try and address Forest’s threat down their right, as Tayo Edun replaced Mola.

Forest’s pace continued to trouble Rovers, with Scott Wharton booked for a trip on Jesse Lingard on the edge of the area eight minutes after the restart. That earned the Rovers defender a yellow card, with Lingard punishing them from the free kick, albeit via a huge deflection off both Wharton brothers, as his effort trickled into the corner with Pears wrong-footed.

It was a moment of fortune in a second half that had been short of action compared with a much more open first 45 minutes.

Rovers weren’t creating much, giving the feeling that a third Forest goal would seal it, with Pears down neatly to keep out Lingard’s shot from Johnson’s pull-back at the midway mark of the second half.

Tomasson turned to his bench, with a triple substitution, but they were only in the game thanks to a string of Pears saves, denying efforts from Joe Worrall and Johnson in quick succession.

The first was from a corner, the second courtesy of a left wing cross, as Forest continued to look lively in attack.

Those proved to be two escapes too many though as Forest found a two-goal lead with 11 minutes to play. Wharton tried to nip in and win the ball ahead of Awonyi who rolled the Rovers defender before having the calmness of finish to find the corner.

That compounded things for Rovers who felt they should have had a free kick moments before when Tyrhys Dolan was blocked off.

Dolan was forced off before the end, with Ben Brereton getting a run-out against his former team who will contest one of the four quarter finals in the New Year.

They managed a fourth in the fourth minute of added time as Johnson thumped an effort across Pears and into the corner to add a harsher look to the scoreline.

Rovers: Aynsley Pears, Lewis Travis, Ash Phillips (Dom Hyam, 73), Scott Wharton, Clinton Mola (Tayo Edun, 46), Adam Wharton (John Buckley, 73), Jake Garrett, Sam Szmodics, Ryan Hedges, Dilan Markanday (Tyrhys Dolan, 73 (Ben Brereton, 88)), George Hirst

Subs: Thomas Kaminski, Harry Pickering, Joe Rankin-Costello, Bradley Dack

Forest: Henderson, Williams (Mbe Soh, 87), Worrall, Boly, Toffolo, Freuler (Colback, 83), Yates, Mangala (O’Brien, 63), Lingard (Surridge, 82), Johnson, Awonyi (Dennis, 82)

Subs: Smith, McKenna, Cook, Lodi