ROVERS Under-23s started their Premier League 2 Division Two campaign in impressive, and emphatic fashion, as they thrashed Wolves 5-1 at Ewood Park.

Summer signing Joe Nuttall scored a hat-trick, with Joe Rankin-Costello and Lewis Hardcastle also on target to cap an excellent display from Damien Johnson's side.

They could well have scored more than the five they did in the pouring rain, with the one downside being the 70th minute goal conceded to make it 4-1, 20 minutes from time.

Rovers were on the front foot from the first whistle, and were to take the lead inside four minutes.

Lewis Travis was enjoying plenty of space down the Rovers right, and it was from his cross that Joe Rankin-Costello was to put his side in front.  The attacker nodded in at the far post after Stefan Mols had seen his initial shot from Travis’ pull-back saved.

Travis would then put in a better ball 10 minutes later, which Joe Nuttall looked to get on the end of, only to be pulled back by a Wolves defender.  A penalty was awarded, and the striker picked himself up and sent the keeper the wrong way to double Rovers’ lead.

Wolves grew in to the game as the half wore on, but their inability to hit the target was to be their downfall in the final third.  Daniel Armstrong shot well wide after cutting in on his left foot, while Christian Herc’s 25-yarder suffered the same fate.

Two more excellent Travis crosses before the break almost saw Rovers find a third, but his first was just out of reach of the unmarked Rankin-Costello, with Nuttall flicking another right-wing delivery wide of the far post.

Wolves’ best chance of the half came five minutes before the break, but Aaron Collins could only head over an inswinging cross from Donovan Wilson.

Wolves, in need of a response, tried to up their tempo after the break.  And they would have equalised had Herc got better contact inside the six yard box after Anthony Breslin’s corner found its way to him in the 50th minute.

But Rovers put the game to bed with two goals in as many minutes, as Nuttall added his second and third of the evening.

His second, after 55 minutes, saw him race on to a through ball, have the presence to hold off the chasing defender, and the composure to lift the ball over the advancing keeper and in to the net.

And within a minute, he wrapped up his hat-trick, firing home from 12 yards out after good work down the right by Stefan Mols.

The frustration was growing for the visitors who had manager, and former Rovers midfielder, Scott Sellars, sent to the stands just after the hour mark for dissent.

The midway point of the second half was reached without too many great alarms for Rovers at the break, though Wolves did go close to reducing their arrears when Herc found the outside of the post with his effort from Sherwin Seedorf’s cut-back.

Having gone close moments before, Herc, arguably Wolves’ biggest threat, would find the net, curling in from the edge of the box.

That only seemed to spark Rovers in to life though, as they went straight up the other end in search of a fifth.  Lewis Hardcastle’s effort was denied by the feet of Harry Burgoyne, before Daniel Butterworth’s follow-up could only find the side netting.

Travis was getting plenty of joy down the right, and tried to get on the scoresheet himself 17 minutes from time, but his effort from Butterworth’s pass was deflected wide.  And from the resulting corner, and having gone close to a fifth on three separate occasions, Rovers would eventually get a fifth.  It came from Hardcastle who thundered an effort past Burgoyne as Wolves failed to clear their lines.

Rovers kept up the pressure thereafter, but were made to settle for five.

They are next in action when they travel to Reading on Friday (1pm).

Rovers: Fisher, C Doyle, Platt, Grayson, J Doyle, Travis, Hardcastle (Thomson, 86), Tomlinson, Mols (Butterworth, 63), Rankin-Costello, Nuttall (Mansell, 72)

Subs: Magloire, Albinson

Wolves: Burgoyne, Rainey, Breslin, Goncalves, Johnson, Leak (John, 62), Armstrong (Seedorf, 65), Herc, Collins (Finnie, 59), Wilson, Randall

Subs: Heredia, Allan