FIRST half goals for Jack Cork and Robbie Brady fired Burnley into the Carabao Cup third round, and kept Sean Dyche’s unbeaten record in the East Lancashire derby in tact.

The Clarets made it four wins from the last four meetings with Rovers, and never looked like having their half-time lead threatened with goalkeeper Nick Pope a practical spectator.

Burnley were simply hungrier, and better.

Rovers tried to make the most of home advantage and get on the front foot. And, kicking towards the away end in the first half, had the potential to be a threat at set pieces.

But Burnley, despite the eight changes including four of the back five, were resilient and patiently worked their way to a 2-0 half-time lead, refusing reused to be rattled.

The same could not be said of the Blackburn fan who emerged from the Riverside Stand after Cork had dealt the first blow, dangerously grabbing Ashley Westwood by the throat.

He was dragged off by a clutch of Clarets and escorted away, along with a secondary pitch invader, while a flare went off in the away end.

It could have got ugly, but mercifully scenes did not get any more unsavoury than that.

The game did not get off to the best of starts for Burnley as Jon Walters went down under a challenge with Richie Smallwood.

The Clarets striker always looked second to the ball but wanted to make his presence felt in this derby battle.

An early exit in Walters’ first start for his new club seemed to be on the cards, a stretcher was brought on and Chris Wood was on the touchline waiting to make his entrance two days after a club record £15million move from Leeds United.

But four minutes and some heavy strapping later, Walters continued and made a menace of himself up front.

It was strike partner Ashley Barnes who looked the most likely to sniff a goal out though, stinging David Raya’s hands from distance midway through the half. But Brady brought about the breakthrough, whipping a cross into the box, where Cork had made an untracked run to meet it with a header that beat Raya.

Barnes was hungry to make his mark and was about to latch onto a throughball when was dragged back by Elliott Ward, but there was no free kick from referee Simon Hooper.

Buoyed by their lead, Burnley fans chanted the name of Owen Coyle - something they have not done for a while. But far from recognising the Scot’s hand in the Clarets’ first promotion to the Premier League it was a dig at the home fans for their former boss’s role in Rovers’ relegation to League One.

Burnley waited almost 35 years to get the upper hand on their bitter rivals. Dyche has never tasted defeat in his time at Turf Moor.

And in the fifth of six minutes of stoppage time Brady made certain of their passage to the third round.

Wood, an eventual replacement for Walters in the 43rd minute after that early knock, looked to make an immediate impact but his terrific run ended with a good save from Raya to keep out the New Zealand international’s firm strike.

Burnley were ending the half strongly. Wood ran the channel and received the ball and then found Cork.

He in turn created an opening for Brady. It was the tightest of angles for the Ireland international, but he fired a superb finish into the roof of the net.

Rovers’ attempts at goal were sparse, but Charlie Mulgrew went close with a free kick - the last kick of the half - which dropped on to the roof of the net.

Tony Mowbray made changes at half-time to try to spark a fightback, with Elliott Bennett and Craig Conway replacing Liam Feeney and Ben Gladwin.

Blackburn had more about them in the second half, particularly with the introduction of Dominic Samuel from the bench.

The 23-year-old had the ball in the net, deflecting in Conway’s initial shot, but was well offside and Rovers’ cheers were silenced by the linesman’s flag, while Bennett scuffed a late chance.

It was too little too late, and too meek a surrender.