Blackburn Rovers and Kendal Town provided a classic encounter at Parkside Road tonight with the visitors edging a five-goal thriller.

The Rovers side included former Rangers loanee Zurab Khizanishvili and Alex Marrow, who played on loan with Oldham Athletic last season.

But Town looked sharp and were not over-awed by the occasion, and had it not been for two quick-fire first half goals, it could have been a much different scoreline.

Town started well as the ball slid across a sodden pitch and were equal to their Premier League counterparts in key areas.

But the breakthrough came for Rovers on 16 minutes.

An inswinging corner from the left by Michael Potts evaded Town’s defenders and Matty Pearson strode in to connect with the ball from two yards, leaving Tom Newton with no chance.

And just a minute later Blackman doubled the tally, knocking home a square ball from five yards, despite looking offside when the ball was played in.

Town pushed though as they looked for a way back into the game, and just a minute after it went to 2-0 Ian Kilford was played in by Peter Wright.

But as he darted for the ball in the area, keeper Frank Fielding plucked it away from him.

On 23 minutes an inspired piece of football saw Walmsley turn a quick throw in, into a great chance.

Throwing the ball to Carl Osman in midfield and receiving it back, he pushed down the right wing to the edge of the box and squared the ball in for Alex Taylor.

With Khizanishvili slipping, Taylor unleashed a thunderbolt similar to those coming from the skies above, but it went just wide of Fielding's goal.

And five minutes later good link up play from Kilford and Mulvaney found Peter Wright in space but as he prepared to fire home, he was robbed of the ball by Matty Pearson and the chance went begging.

Ashcroft rang the changes in the second half, offering run outs to youngsters Martin Grundy, Jordan Tucker, Shaun Gardner and Alan Fleming, while taking a look at Dave Foster and Callum Warburton.

And it proved inspired, even after Rovers took a 3-0 lead on 55 minutes - Blackman getting his second at the near post when Morris headed back across goal from the byline.

Foster made some clever runs to split the defence and with Osman, Warburton and Wisdom enjoying the better exchanges on the flanks, the breakthrough came in the 63rd minute.

A cross-field ball landed with Foster in the box and a penalty was given when Khizanishvili was adjudged to have fouled him, when it looked more like he touched the ball away from him.

Keiran Walmsley stepped up to make it 3-1 and Town saw this as game on.

And with 12 minutes to go they had their second. Foster again latched on to a through ball, this time from Warburton, and when the ball came back off the post after he rounded substitute keeper Jake Kean, it deflected into the goal off Khizanishvili.

Rovers had their chances to kill the game off though but some superb stops from Newton throughout the match prevented them adding to the score.

An equaliser eluded the black and whites, but with the third pre-season match now under their belts, the team look sharper up front, have more pace and are starting to show why they are already being touted as promotion candidates.

HOW THEY RATED

Kendal Town: Tom Newton 8, Keiran Walmsley 7, Martin Moran 7, George Melling 7, Rory Winters 8, Paul Osbourne 7, Carl Osman 7, Ian Kilford 7, Alex Taylor 7, Peter Wright 7, Lee Mulvaney 7.

Subs: Shaun Gardner 7, Dave Foster 8, Callum Warburton 8, Danny Wisdom 8, Alan Fleming 7, Martin Grundy 7, Jordan Tucker 7.

Blackburn Rovers XI: Frank Fielding 7, Jackson Ramm 7, Zach Aley 8, Zurab Khizanishvili 7, Matty Pearson 7, Gavin Gunning 7, Michael Potts 7, Alex Marrow 8, Nick Blackman 8, Rodrigo Branco 8, Josh Morris, 8.

Subs: Jake Kean 7, Anthony O’Connor 7, John Flynn 7, Toni Vastic 7, Tom Hitchcock 7, Jamie MacLaren 7.

Attendance: 337