Carlos Villanueva ends Blyth Spartans' FA Cup dream

See more pictures from the FA Cup 3rd Round clash

Chilean midfielder Carlos Villanueva spared Blackburn's blushes as brave Blyth's FA Cup dream finally came to an end.

Villanueva's excellent 59th-minute free-kick was enough to book Sam Allardyce's Barclays Premier League side a fourth round trip to Sunderland.

The visitors had the better of the game at Croft Park, but survived two late scares when both Andrew Wright and Alex Gildea went close to an equaliser inside the final five minutes.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce changed his entire line-up as he looked to avoid an FA Cup shock at non-league Blyth.

The former Newcastle and Bolton boss rested the 11 men who started against Manchester City last time out as a side captained by Zurab Khizanishvili went into battle at a chilly Croft Park.

Matt Derbyshire was asked to lead the line, and there was just a fifth appearance for the club since his £4million summer move from Torino for midfielder Vince Grella on his return from a calf injury.

Blyth manager Harry Dunn handed a debut to full-back Alex Smith, a new signing from Stranraer, while striker Ged Dalton - who scored the winner against Bournemouth in the last round as a substitute - was also included.

Carlos Villanueva was asked to provide the support for Derbyshire in attack with Jason Roberts named only among the substitutes.
Blyth were certainly not overawed in the early stages and dealt comfortably with Keith Treacy's third-minute free-kick into the area, Richard Pell heading clear under no pressure.

Rovers were seeing plenty of the ball and produced the game's first shot with six minutes gone, although Treacy's weak effort was well off-target.

Alan Judge and Villanueva combined well three minutes later for the latter to go for goal, only to slice his effort well wide, but the pressure was mounting.

Only a well-time challenge by skipper Andrew Leeson prevented Derbyshire converting Villanueva's 11th-minute cross, and keeper Mark Bell had to make his first save seconds later, diving to his right to turn away Treacy's skidding strike.

The home side were under pressure again with 17 minutes gone after Leeson conceded a corner with Judge and Danny Simpson having exchanged passes on the edge of the penalty area, but striker Robert Dale cleared Treacy's cross.

Blyth were doing their best to pin Blackburn back, but the Barclays Premier League side rarely looked to be in any difficulty.

However, by the time the clock ticked around to the mid-point of the first-half, the game remained goalless.

The travelling fans behind Rovers goalkeeper Mark Bunn's goal were growing increasingly restless, and they had good cause to be concerned with 26 minutes gone.

Bunn came from his line as a posse of players converged on a loose ball on the edge of the box, and although Aaron Mokoena got there first, he thumped his clearance straight to Dalton wide on the right.

With the keeper scrambling back towards his line, Dalton attempted to lift the ball over him, but shot high and wide.

Blyth won their first corner two minutes later when Mokoena mishit another clearance, but the Blue Square North side could make nothing of it.

Derbyshire had the ball in the net 12 minutes before the break when he finished acrobatically after the ball had looped up to him, but an offside flag ruined his celebrations.

He was presented with a further chance a minute later, but this time scuffed his volley from close-range.

Blackburn pressed again with 39 minutes gone when Grella found Simpson wide on the right and he won a corner off Dale.

Blyth struggled to repel Treacy's ball in and Grella pounced to send in a firm volley which was blocked on the line by Pell.

There was a real air of expectation inside the packed ground as the second half kicked off with the home fans dreaming of a repeat of the club's remarkable run to the fifth round of the competition in 1978.
Derbyshire failed to make the most of Pell's misdirected 49th-minute header at the far post when he once again miscued with a volley, much to the amusement of the locals.

However, Villanueva had Bell sprawling across his goal two minutes later after working himself into a good position.

The midfielder shifted the ball on to his left foot 25 yards out before unleashing a curling right-foot shot which flew just wide.

Blyth's response was encouraging, Chris McCabe appealing ambitiously for a penalty after going down under Mokoena's challenge to spark a frenzied exchange in and around the Blackburn box.

But when the opening goal arrived, it came at the other end, and was worth waiting for.

McCabe's barge from behind on Villanueva handed the Chilean the chance to test Bell from 25 yards, and his left-foot free-kick curled unerringly into the top corner to finally break the deadlock.

The 59th-minute goal proved to be Villanueva's last touch as he and Grella were replaced by Jason Roberts and Keith Andrews, and the latter might have scored with his first touch, but fluffed his shot.

But the second goal almost arrived with 61 minutes gone when Treacy's volley flicked off full-back Kenny Boyle and clipped the crossbar.

But still Dunn's men refused to lie down and they won a free-kick in a dangerous position when Johann Vogel fouled Reay 25 yards out.

Skipper Gareth Williams went for goal with a shot which bounced awkwardly just in front of Bunn, but the goalkeeper was equal to the task.

With five minutes remaining, substitute Andrew Wright blasted a right-foot shot wide of Bunn's out-stretched hand, but saw the ball fly inches wide of the post as the crowd rose as one.

Blyth went agonisingly close once again with 87 minutes gone when the unmarked Alex Gildea met a free-kick with his head, but guided his header over.