IT’S TEARS FOR PEARS
Stand-in hands win to Wigan
BLACKBURN boss Tony Mowbray admitted his selection of keeper Aynsley Pears ahead of No.1 Thomas Kaminski backfired.
The back-up stopper’s howlers gifted Wigan their first two goals as Rovers slipped up at their Lancashire neighbours.
Teenage sub Thelo Aasgaard curled in a stoppage-time winner for Leam Richardson’s League One high fliers to complete a miserable afternoon for the Rovers keeper.
The one-time Liverpool prospect had only been on the pitch for 11 minutes before ending Premier League hopefuls Blackburn’s cup ambitions.
Pears could do little with Aasgaard’s spectacular effort but had been badly at fault for Max Power’s equaliser before fumbling Jack Whatmough’s header into his own net.
“The narrative of the game is there for everyone to see,” Mowbray said. “Aynsley has played twoand-a-half league games this season and kept clean sheets in those minutes on the pitch.
“Because of Covid I felt it was important to give the No.2 goalie a chance to play. You never know when Thomas might catch Covid.
“It was an important position to change but ultimately it didn’t pan out well for us.
“You can’t legislate for those mistakes. We looked really solid, I don’t remember them threatening our goal
“Then we scored and I felt if we continued in the same mode we would go on and win the game. It wasn’t to be, we gave them a lifeline.”
The visitors were in total control after their own substitute Reda Khadra fired home a right-foot shot after a superb Joe Rothwell pass just after the break. Instead, Pears allowed Power’s 25-yarder to slip through his grasp.
And he had almost cost his side another goal before Whatmough’s farpost header crept through his gloves.
Defender Daniel Ayala headed an 87th-minute equaliser for Rovers before 19-year-old Aasgaard booked Latics’ fourth-round spot with a stunner.
“I said to the lads in the changing it’s our secret that it was a cross,” Richardson said.
“Seriously, it was genuine. I see Thelo practise it every day in training. He has got that quality. He dropped his shoulder and 100 percent meant it.”
WIGAN: Jamie Jones 6, Watts 6, Whatmough 6, Darikwa 6 (Massey 62, 6), Pearce, 6 (Mcclean 62, 5) Kerr 7, Naylor 6 (Aasgaard 78, 7), Edwards 6, Power 8, Lang 6 (Jones 86), Keane 6 (Humphreys 78, 5).
Subs not used:
BLACKBURN: