NOT many teams in the Carabao Cup first round will have scored more goals than they made changes, but Rovers managed that in a 5-1 demolition of Carlisle United at Brunton Park.

Tony Mowbray promised a strong team and that’s what he delivered, with just four alterations from the team that drew with Millwall on Saturday.

And the boss was rewarded with a comfortable passage into round two.

Bradley Dack scored twice, and laid on two assists for Adam Armstrong’s brace, in a virtuoso display while Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer scored his first Rovers goal.

Dack was part of an exciting quartet behind Armstrong and it took just 90 seconds for Rovers to click in to gear.

Some crisp passing saw Dack feed the ball through a defender’s legs to find the run of Armstrong whose clinical, instinctive finish from the edge of the box found the top corner. That was his 10th goal in Rovers colours in just his 18th start, and first since his permanent move from Newcastle United.

And within six minutes Rovers were 2-0 up as the hosts again afforded Dack too much space. He sent the ball wide to Craig Conway and drifted in to the box unmarked, with Joe Fryer spilling the right-wing cross in to the former Gillingham man’s path and he couldn’t miss.

Carlisle were undoubtedly left shell-shocked by the quickfire double, but responded well.

Macaulay Gillesphey had left a previous free-kick in shooting range to Jamie Devitt, but took over duties in the 10th minute and rattled the Rovers bar with an excellent curling effort from 20 yards.

And there was hope, literally, for the hosts in the 22nd minute as Hallam Hope took aim from 25 yards to rifle a shot in to the top corner. He and Jerry Yates had both tested Raya with rather tamer efforts just before, but the home crowd were buoyed by their side’s response.

But it was another six minute double from Rovers which put the game to bed. The third goal was down to the sublime skill of Dack, taking the ball on the half turn before curling an effort beyond the despairing dive of Fryer.

The second was down to Rovers pressing the Carlisle backline in to a mistake. When it came, Palmer profited, taking two touches on the edge of the box to steady himself before slotting the ball in to the bottom corner.

Despite the scoreline, the home side were applauded off having been denied by the woodwork for a second time in added time when an Adam Campbell thunderbolt left Raya’s goal-frame shaking.

There were no signs of Rovers taking their foot off the pedal in the second half as an immaculate Dack through-ball put Armstrong clear again. The striker had all the time in the world to steady himself and find the bottom corner.

That made it five shots on target and five goals for Rovers.

Armstrong was taken off, denying him the chance to get his hat-trick, as Mowbray made three changes around the hour mark.

Only the crossbar was to deny Dack a deserved third, his shot from the right edge of the box tipped on to the woodwork by Fryer with 65 minutes on the watch. The hosts’ keeper denied him again moments later with another save diving away to his right.

The game was becoming stretched as Carlisle began to tire. But Hope forced Raya in to a smart stop while Devitt blasted over as the home side showed signs of life going forward.

Rovers’ quest for a sixth saw Dominic Samuel blaze over, but the margin of victory stayed at 5-1 as Raya made two similar saves to keep out strikes from Devitt and Campbell before the final whistle.