Stags experiment in Blackburn cup tie

Mansfield Town played an experimental line-up without a recognised front man for tonight's EFL Cup first round clash with Championship club Blackburn Rovers.

That meant four changes from the side that won Saturday’s opener at Newport.

Out went George Taft, Matt Green, Kevan Hurst and Danny Rose and in came James Baxendale, Karl Howkins, CJ Hamilton and Ashley Hemmings with no clue as to who would be playing the furthest forward.

Rovers, looking to quickly put Saturday’s opening home disaster against Norwich behind them, brought in Gordon Greer, Anthony Stokes, Jack Byrne, Craig Conway and Stephen Hendrie.

Ward and Bennett missed out with injury and Feeney, Henley and Akpan dropped to the bench.

STAGS: Shearer, Bennett, Benning, Collins, Howkins, Chapman, Clements, Baxendale, Hamilton, Hemmings, M. Rose. Subs: Jensen, Taft, Green, Hurst, McGuire, D. Rose, Hakeem.

BLACKBURN: Steele, Greer, Lowe, Byrne, Stokes, Marshall, Graham, Hendrie, Duffy, Lenihan, Conway. Subs: Raya, Henley, Feeney, Akpan, Guthrie, Mahoney, Wharton.

REFEREE: Stephen Martin of Staffordshire.