ROVERS roared through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after coming from behind to beat a Swansea side who finished the tie with nine men.

In front of a sub-6,000 crowd the Premier League outfit had Kyle Bartley sent off in the seventh minute for a professional foul on Josh King.

But that did not stop them from taking a 21st-minute lead through Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Rovers restored parity within two minutes, however, thanks to Chris Taylor’s third FA Cup goal of the campaign.

And Gary Bowyer’s side sealed a morale-boosting and thoroughly deserved success when Cardiff City old boys Rudy Gestede and Craig Conway struck in the final 12 minutes before Sigurdsson was sent off in injury-time.

The big talking point before kick-off surrounded Bowyer’s starting line-up.

The Rovers boss, with an eye clearly on Tuesday’s Championship clash at Derby County, left Gestede, Jordan Rhodes, Ben Marshall, captain Grant Hanley and Jason Steele on the bench.

But the team he picked, which showed six changes in total to the one that started the 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic, did not let him down in an incident-packed opening period.

Not least King who, playing up front on his own, caused Swansea no end of problems.

After a minute's applause to remember former Rovers manager Ken Furphy, who passed away aged 83 this week, the Norwegian’s pace led to Bartley being given his marching orders.

The jet-heeled King raced on to a searching pass over the top by Matt Kilgallon and was dragged down by Bartley just as he was about to pull the trigger.

Tom Cairney sent the resulting free kick straight at Lukasz Fabianski but the former Arsenal goalkeeper fumbled the ball into the path of King who, under pressure, could only stab the rebound ride.

Another penetrating run from the lone frontman led to another chance for Cairney whose effort from distance was gathered at the second attempt by Fabianski.

But it was Swansea, with defender Federico Fernandez on for midfielder Tom Carroll, who went in front in spectacular fashion.

The ball broke to Sigurdsson 30 yards from goal and, with stand-in Rovers skipper Jason Lowe backing off, he sent a unstoppable shot flying past Simon Eastwood.

But the lead lasted less than 120 seconds.

And what an equalising goal it was too as Conway and King combined to send Markus Olsson scampering away down the wing.

The left-back’s hooked cross to the back post was nodded down by Cairney to Taylor who did brilliantly to turn and volley home from close range.

On a rock-hard pitch the chances dried up until added time at the end of the first half when the otherwise anonymous Bafetimbi Gomis was unable to get a telling touch to a cross from Dwight Tiendalli.

Rovers created the first opening of at times flat second half when King left his marker for dead and clipped over a cross-shot that Fabianski collected at his near post.

Then Cairney should have done better than curl high and wide after he controlled a clever pass from David Dunn, a 41st-minute replacement for the injured Lee Williamson, and made space for himself in the box with a sharp turn.

Bowyer then introduced Gestede for his first appearance since Rovers rejected a £3.5m bid from Crystal Palace for the top-scorer.

Neither keeper was tested again until the 71st minute when Fabianski got down low to his left to smother a flicked Kilgallon header from a Conway free kick.

Bowyer was then forced to make one final change when substitute Dunn was substituted for Rhodes after feeling his calf.

But within 60 seconds it was Rhodes’ strike-partner who made the difference.

From a short corner Cairney crossed into the box for Gestede.

He won the ball in the air and, when it fell to him, he showed speed of thought to steer it past Fabianski in a flash and take his tally for the term up to 13.

Swansea could well have levelled six minutes later had man-of-the-match Shane Duffy not done superbly to prevent Angel Rangel from latching on to Sigurdsson’s through ball.

It proved a vital interception as in the final minute of normal time Conway took a pass from Olsson and beat Fabianski with a stinging 20-yard drive he should have saved, the Pole watching on in horror as the ball slipped through his fingers and crossed the line.

And it got worse for Swansea when Sigurdsson was shown a straight red card for a reckless lunge on Taylor.

Rovers: Eastwood, Henley, Duffy, Kilgallon, Olsson, Taylor, Lowe, Williamson (Dunn 41 (Rhodes 77), Conway, Cairney, King (Gestede 60). Subs not used: Steele, Hanley, Brown, Marshall.

Booked: Williamson.

Goals: Taylor 23, Gestede 78, Conway 89.

Swansea: Fabianski, Rangel, Bartley, Amat, Tiendalli, Carroll (Fernandez 9), Shelvey, Dyer, Sigurdsson, Barrow (Montero 62), Gomis (Oliveira 77). Subs: Tremmel, Naughton, Fulton, Emnes.

Booked: Dyer.

Sent off: Bartley 7, Sigurdsson 90.

Goal: Sigurdsson 21.

Referee: Craig Pawson.

Attendance: 5,928 (590 away).