Match report by David Elliott at Ewood Park

GRIMSBY Town bowed out of the Carling Cup as Blackburn Rovers secured a comfortable win at Ewood Park.

The Mariners gave the Premier League side an early scare though when they took the lead through a Tom Newey free kick.

Blackburn debutant Carlos Villaneuva put the home side level on 17 minutes but Grimsby more than held their own for most of the first half, enjoying large chunks of possession and creating further chances before going behind to a close range strike from Matt Derbyshire.

After taking the lead, Rovers never looked back and they added a third before the break through Emerton.Derbyshire's second of the game sealed the win for the home side soon after half-time.

Rovers had several chances to increase their lead but Town held firm, thanks mostly to the form of Phil Barnes, who made a number of excellent saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

Alan Buckley made three changes to the team that lost at home to Chesterfield at the weekend.

Nathan Jarman made his first start of the season in attack, while Danny Boshell was also in from the start after making a substitute appearance on Saturday.Jamie Clarke was the other addition to the team, while Martin Butler, Chris Llewellyn and Andy Taylor all dropped to the bench.

Phil Barnes began in goal, with Tom Newey, Ryan Bennett and Matt Heywood making up a central defensive trio.

Clarke, James Hunt, Boshell, Simon Heslop and Nick Hegarty lined up across the midfield, with Peter Till taking up an attacking role just behind Jarman.

Grimsby's substitutes were Butler, Llewellyn, Taylor, Gary Montgomery, Peter Bore and Danny North.

Blackburn boss Paul Ince made eight alterations from the team that drew 1-1 with Hull City in the league on Saturday but he still named a line-up oozing Premier League class.

Morten Gamst Pedersen would pose a major threat to the Mariners' hopes of progressing to the third round, while the trickery of Tugay would also be sure to cause problems for Buckley's men.

The hosts had the first opportunity within the opening 20 seconds of the game.Matt Derbyshire was given plenty of space on the edge of the area but he curled a shot just over the bar.

The first corner came on two minutes as Blackburn looked to strike early but Till managed to get the ball clear of danger.

Grimsby's first opportunity came with a free kick on the right after five minutes.Bennett got his head to Newey's delivery but the ball was cleared for a corner.

Soon afterwards, another free kick went Town's way, this time 25 yards out and in a central position.NEWEY stepped up and struck an unstoppable shot that hit the bar before bouncing down into the net to give the Mariners a dream start.

Blackburn immediately went on the offensive to try and restore parity and Pedersen went close on 10 minutes but his close range effort was stopped by Barnes, diving to his right.

Town were giving as good as they got though, defending well and making regular moves into the Blackburn half, to the delight of the noisy travelling support from North East Lincolnshire.

The home side's pressure finally told on 17 minutes, with Brett Emerton finding CARLOS VILLANUEVA 25 yards out on the right.He cut inside before curling a shot past Barnes into the bottom left corner of the net to level the scores to the relief of Paul Ince and the home crowd.

Grimsby's next chance was made by Till with a run down the right.He got to the by-line before waiting for support and then crossing low for Hegarty.The winger couldn't get a good enough contact on the ball to send it towards goal though and Blackburn were able to clear.

Then on 25 minutes, Jarman made a promising run into the box before pulling the ball back across an empty six-yard box but no Town attacker was there for what would have been a simple tap-in.

Grimsby were more than holding their own at this stage and were asking most of the questions in attack, with Hegarty also getting a cross into the box, this time from the left.

Town had another good chance on the half-hour, with Clarke firing over from 20 yards.

But when the next goal came on 31 minutes, it went to the Premier league side.Barnes brilliantly stopped Aaron Mokoena's deflected 20-yard shot but the Mariners stopper was powerless to keep out MATT DERBYSHIRE's follow-up effort, the frontman poking into the empty net from close range.

Villaneuva had an opportunity to make it 3-1 on 35 minutes when again, he was given space to shoot on the edge of the area.This time, his drive beat Barnes but whistled just wide of the far post.

Four minutes later, Rovers did get their third, with BRETT EMERTON turning and hitting a sweet shot from 20 yards that gave Barnes no chance.

The Town keeper had to be at his very best soon afterwards to stop what could have been a fourth Blackburn goal.Villaneuva hit a vicious drive from 18 yards but Barnes flung himself to his right to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.

The first booking came on 43 minutes, with Rovers' Danny simpson finding his name in the referee's notebook for stopping Boshell from taking a quick free kick on the halfway line.

Two minutes of additional time were played at the end of a half which had started superbly for the Mariners with Newey's goal but eventually, the home side's class had told and they went in at the break with what appeared to be a comfortable lead.

Town would have it all to do in the second half if they were to remain in the competition and take a place in Saturday's third round draw.

No substitutions were made at the interval and Grimsby had an almost instant chance to reduce their deficit when play resumed.Hegarty took advantage of a loose ball inside the Blackburn area after keeper Jason Brown had come out to charge down a shot.The winger flicked the ball back over him but the shot from a narrow angle also cleared the bar in front of the Town fans.

Blackburn were awarded a free kick on the right on 53 minutes for a foul by Boshell, who was yellow-carded.Barnes was not troubled by the set piece from Tugay, which beat everybody and curled wide.

A minute later, Rovers registered their fourth goal of the evening.Tugay passed to Pedersen, whose low cross was converted by DERBYSHIRE, volleying home from 10 yards.

Tugay was involved again on 61 minutes, again finding Pederson with a clever pass on the left.This time, the cross was put behind for a corner by Bennett.

Derbyshire almost completed his hat-trick two minutes later when he got on the end of a cross with a header from eight yards.He couldn't steer it into the net though and the hosts' advantage remained at three goals.

Town won a free kick inside the Rovers half on 65 minutes when till was felled by Pedersen.

Before the kick was taken, Buckley made a double substitution.Andy Taylor was brought on in place of Till and Martin Butler replaced Jarman.

Blackburn responded by replacing Ryan Nelson with Alan Judge after Newey's free kick had been comfortably taken by Brown.

Pedersen nearly made it 5-1 on 68 minutes when he stabbed a shot towards goal from close range after a cross from the right but Barnes proved to be in the right place at the right time to keep the effort out.

Paul Gallagher was then given a run-out by Ince in place of Emerton for the final 20 minutes of the game.

Derbyshire thought he had registered his third goal of the night when he headed past Barnes from inside the area soon afterwards but the linesman's flag came to Town's rescue and the goal was disallowed for offside.

Keith Treacy made a run into the Town area before stabbing a shot wide of Barnes' goal before Blackburn's final substitution saw Pedersen replaced by Marcus Marshall.

Marshall won Blackburn's tenth corner of the night with seven minutes left to play when Clarke stopped him getting a cross into the box from the left.

Barnes denied the home side again on 87 minutes when he dived to keep out a close range shot from Derbyshire, who was still hunting his hat-trick goal.

By this point, it was a damage limitation exercise for the Mariners, who were simply looking to keep possession.

There was still time for more Blackburn attacks, with Bennett booked on 89 minutes for a foul midway inside his own half.It was almost costly for Town when Villaneuva stepped up and smashed the free kick against the bar.

Barnes made another great save as the game moved into two minutes of added time, palming away a shot from Derbyshire from inside the area.

That was the last goalmouth action of a game the mariners had acquitted themselves well in, only to fall to the class of the side from three divisions higher.

Town may have had their moments and had held the lead early in the proceedings but they had no answer to the likes of Tugay, man-of-the-match Villanueva and Derbyshire.

The men from Blundell Park will now switch their attention to Saturday's derby clash away to Lincoln City as they look for their first league win of the season.