Rovers booked their place in round four of the FA Youth Cup with an impressive victory at Birmingham City.

Sitting eight points clear at the top of the Under-18s Premier League Rovers are well-fancied to go deep in the competition and made their quality tell at St Andrew’s in a 4-1 win.

A Rico Browne own goal and Charlie Weston header had Rovers ahead the break with quickfire goals early in the second half from George Pratt and Jake Batty putting the game out of the Blues’ reach.

Rovers went ahead in the ninth minute when Harrison Wood was played through and his attempted square pass for Harry Leonard was turned home by the unfortunate defender Browne.

That was doubled in the 14th minute when a long ball from George Pratt freed Weston, and although he and Leonard were denied initially, he had no trouble converting the rebound.

The hosts had got themselves back into it midway through the second half through a fine Harry Manton free-kick, with Charlie Olsen twice making good defensive blocks to keep the lead intact.

Felix Goddard also made an important stop inside 30 seconds, to deny Blues skipper Kieran Wakefield when he raced clear of Pratt, though that proved to be his main intervention of the night.

Rovers took charge at the start of the contest in the second half however, Pratt rising highest to head home an Adam Caddick corner, while Batty finished off a fine team move before the hour to give the visitors control of the contest.

The search for a fifth saw Wood denied by the crossbar with goalkeeper Alfie Brooke stranded outside of his goal, with Weston a whisker away from his second of the night when side-footing wide a Leonard cut-back.

Another fine move down the left saw Batty cut the ball back for Leonard to side-foot just wide as Rovers continued their search for a fifth.

Substitute Harley O'Grady Macken had two efforts saved by Brooks in the closing stages, by this point it had become a matter of whether Rovers could add another goal. 

A fifth did arrive in the final seconds of normal time, the impressive Adam Wharton sliding in Leonard who finished off emphatically into the top corner.

They will aim to continue their fine form when they host East Lancashire rivals Burnley on Saturday.

Birmingham: Brooks, Fogarty, Browne, Barratt (Nguepissi, 65), Sullivan, Home (Khela, 65), Patterson, Manton, Hall, Bellingham, Wakefield

Subs: Mayo, Ogor, Williams, Rushton, Oni

Rovers: Goddard, Haddow, Gamble, Pratt, Olsen, Batty, Weston (Edmondson, 88) Wharton, Caddick (Cunningham, 72), Gent, Leonard, Wood (O'Grady-Mackem, 81)

Subs: Duru, Blease, Chmiel, Montgomery