Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson said he was proud of his side’s performance after their 8-0 thumping away at Harrogate Town yesterday.
Rovers progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup in style, with eight goals scored by seven different goal scorers in Jake Garrett, Sam Gallagher, Dolan Markanday, Zak Gilsenan, Tom Bloxham, Hames Edmondson and James Buckley, who scored twice
“It is very rare to score eight goals in a competitive game,” Tomasson told the Lancashire Telegraph. “We have all seen how difficult those games can be, there have been a couple of upsets already.
“When we started the game we saw Harrogate were in a low block, something we have trained on all year to try and break that down.
“It can be so difficult but I thought it was an extremely professional performance, very mature. All those things we are working on in training, I saw that.
“Eight great goals, a clean sheet, seven different scorers and I stopped counting all those young guns who made their debuts. I am proud of the boys.”
Jon Dahl Tomasson on progressing in the Cup and working with young players
Blackburn had some great wins in the Cup last season, and Tomasson is hoping to repeat that with the young players excelling.
“We made a couple of upsets last season in the cups, beating Leicester and West Ham away, so I know how difficult these games can be but I take this cup very seriously.
“The key to the game was the work in the final third we have been doing this season. All those principles where the players did a lot of the right things, and the right attitude and intensity from the beginning of the game.
“You know I love working with these players. They have a great spirit, togetherness and they want to get better,” Tomasson explained.
“There is a reason I took all those young players (to Austria). They work like that every day. They are still very young and normally should be un the U21s, but I like to train those boys.
“I think it is better if they hear from me what to do. They listen and are willing to do the right things. It is a great day for the Academy and for the fans, they love to see youngsters getting minutes.”
Blackburn have been drawn at home to Cardiff City in the third round of the Carabao Cup, with the game scheduled to take place in a month’s time.