NEW boy Tony Watt and Elliott Ward will make their Blackburn Rovers debuts in this afternoon’s FA Cup clash at Oxford United.

Striker Watt’s paperwork has come through in time to feature in the fourth-round tie after signing on loan from Charlton Athletic until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move in the summer.

Defender Ward, who arrived earlier this month on a free transfer after leaving Bournemouth, will also make his Rovers bow.

There is a first start for the club for Simeon Jackson, who will partner Watt up front, and there are recalls for fit-again right-back Ben Marshall, right-winger Elliott Bennett and centre-midfielder Darragh Lenihan.

Adam Henley, Shane Duffy and Chris Taylor drop to a substitute’s bench containing only six players after Jordan Rhodes pulled out of the squad to complete his £11m move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough.

Danny Graham is cup-tied while Hope Akpan is out injured with a knee knock he picked up in training yesterday.

Oxford make one change to the team that started their 1-0 victory at League Two promotion rivals Portsmouth last Saturday.

Jordan Bowery, who came off the bench to score the winner at Fratton Park, takes the place of Danny Hylton.

Bowery was signed and sold by Rovers boss Paul Lambert when he was in charge of Aston Villa.

One of Lambert’s predecessors in the Ewood Park hotseat, Michael Appleton, manages Oxford, who won 3-2 at home to Premier League Swansea City in the third round to set up today’s tie.

Oxford: Slocombe, Baldock, Skarz, Roofe, Mullins, Wright, Sercombe, MacDonald, O’Dowda, Lundstram, Bowery. Subs: Buchel, Hylton, Ruffels, Kenny, Ashby, Dunkley, Evans.

Rovers:  Steele, Marshall, Ward, Hanley, Spurr, Bennett, Lenihan, Evans, Conway, Jackson, Watt. Subs: Raya, Henley, Kilgallon, Lawrence, Taylor, Duffy.