I think the FA Youth Cup continuation is being played on the eligibility for 19/20 season. So players registered at the club and under 18 at 31 December 2018 and are still at the club. Otherwise much of the team which started out in the competition in September 2019 would now be debarred for being over age!

Plus we can expect at least some of the new signings and the players recovering from injury to get the permitted over age run outs in occasional games for the under 23s like Ayala did.

Helped by Rovers going into Calamity Jane mode for the last ten minutes as well. It was clear the confidence that any Rovers player could make a pass and we'd keep possession had drained out of the entire side.

Rovers won 1-0 at Southampton. Top of the table now: Chelsea U23 5 4 0 1 11:5 12 Brighton U23 5 3 2 0 9:5 11 Blackburn U23 4 3 1 0 9:3 10 Tottenham U23 4 3 1 0 7:2 10

McBride again after 12 minutes. iFollow Rovers don't seem to know the game has even started!

Nothing happening on either club's site. Rovers with a very young team reflecting the involvement of under 23s in yesterday's Forest game. 1 JORDAN EASTHAM (GK) 6 JOE GRAYSON (C) 5 SAMUEL BARNES 4 LOUIE JOHN ANNESLEY 11 BEN PATON 7 ISAAC WHITEHALL 2 DAN PIKE 3 LEWIS THOMPSON 8 JALIL SAADI 9 SAM BURNS 10 CONNOR MCBRIDE SUBSTITUTES 15 JAKE GARRETT 12 SAM DURRANT 14 JARED HARLOCK 13 AIDAN DOWLING

Southampton ran a live video stream last season- they offer a free live service at https://www.southamptonfc.com/b-team/matches/2020-21/saints-vs-blackburn-rovers-2020-10-18 but I don't know if that includes video. There is a text commentary at https://www.rovers.co.uk/matches/fixtures-results/u23-team2/202021/october/southampton-pl2-vs-blackburn-rovers-pl2-on-18-oct-20/

By my count we had 11 unavailable today. Pears Elliott Williams Rothwell Bennett JRC Travis Dack Butterworth Vale Holtby Douglas and Trybull were technically available but too recently signed to be considered so make that 13 out.

Like the first game of a new season. Even without Williams, Rothwell, JRC, Dack, Travis, Bennett, Butterworth for sure, there are enough returning and new faces available for this to feel like a completely new team. Would be cruel to drop Bell after he was one of the few to emerge with credit in the last two games. However, overall we have gone from a team which couldn't stop scoring to one which looks like it won't score again this side of Christmas. Elliott looks like he could have what it takes to unlock a massed defence so he comes in for Brereton for me. I would certainly play Trybull over Evans and Holtby for Buckley. Start with Gallagher and have Dolan as an impact sub. Dolan incidentally didn't do too badly but needed more mobility from other players around him to take advantage of space created by defenders not getting tight to him. Remember Watford have their own wonder kid. I fear we could get thrashed if Watford score early but am expecting a Bournemouth style of match with hopefully Rovers prevailing this time by the odd goal.

Let's get Downing signed PDQ after that performance.

Thing that bothers me is we are already 6 points off 2nd and have an away game at Watford up next. This season could suddenly turn into a long haul if we are not careful.

The big plus from today is that Rovers have eleven players on the books better than that lot. Evans was poor Johnson and capped off an inadequate performance with the assist for their goal. Buckley totally failed to take his big chance. Brereton back to being a nothingness. Bell had a decent game, Ayala looks immense and Kaminski cannot be faulted for the goal- that was a huge deflection.

Well that's 45 minutes I wouldn't want to live through again. Not even bothering to watch the replayed "highlights". The iFollow screen is terribly gloomy just to make it worse. All to play for second half. Mowbray earning his wage at HT hopefully.

Downing? No thanks- oh boy how we have been spoiled!

No apart from excessive adverts

Wow didn't expect that. Could be high scoring.

Just noticed Forest have managed to score only one League goal all season so far. We just know they are going to get a bag full today.

Could see Evans in for Trybull but I bet he won't resist throwing in Douglas and Gallagher onto the park together. Even though Douglas doesn't meet Bielsa's natural athleticism, I bet his medical has shown him to be near the top of Rovers' fitness ratings.

Douglas has just come from the Bielsa training regime. He should be the most ready to play today at the club! The line up almost certainly is going to be Kaminski Nyambi Ayala. Lenihan. Douglas Trybull Johnson. Buckley Gallagher Armstrong Brereton Subs Stergiakos Wharton Evans Dolan Chapman Bell Davenport With 9 out and Elliott and Pears signed too late it pretty well picks itself. Hopefully that is the last time this season I will write that Mowbray has no choice in choosing the 18. It is possible there are more covid problems than we know about and some more under 23s get promoted to the bench. The 18 at Watford will have Holtby Pears and Elliott available and I guess JRC Carter Williams and Rothwell come back into contention for Coventry. Talk about intense competition for places and that will be without long term absentees Dack Travis Bennett Vale and Butterworth

So none of our four deadline day signings are eligible then either. Or was Douglas done in the morning?

Very old fashioned look to the eleven names for Derby this evening. Look like they have walked off the back page of a 1960's football programme: (Garbage game against Watford so far) Marshall Byrne Evans Davies Clarke Buchanan Holmes Bird Shinnie Knight Rooney

Didn't feel like it but it is 9 out, 9 in. Plus Mols and White gone on loan.

Where is Bolasie? Turns out we were never serious and Warnock is not all that enthusiastic at Boro either. Meanwhilst Josh King is having a good old moan at Bournemouth.

The kid is 17. Hair is a joke but not aware of any other problems with him. At least the hair made me remember him from when he came on for Liverpool.

Elliott has to be registered in the 25- he is on loan. Dolan is under age so doesn't have to be. Then it is a question of under 21 when? Buckley and JRC have both just had their 21st birthdays. If the cut off is the nominal start on the 20/21 season, they can both be treated as under aged. Hayden Carter Carter is still under 21, Scott Wharton isnt. Players who are 21 whose birthdays were before 30 June include Stergiakis and Davenport