Badshot Lea exited the FA Youth Cup with a 3-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers in the first round proper.

The young Baggies had battled through three qualifying rounds to set up the trip to the Memorial Stadium.

Both sides looked to play attractive football, but the home side took the lead on 15 minutes when uncharacteristic hesitation at the back allowed Trey Cadette to profit from a rebound and score.

Five minutes later a run into the box by Kian Hill was halted by an outstretched leg and the referee pointed to the spot.

Baggies keeper Will Lott dived smartly to his right to thwart Hill’s spot kick and keep the deficit to a single goal.

Clearly buoyed by this reprieve, the Baggies set about turning the heat up on the Gas as they grew in confidence.

With Lott superbly tipping over the bar and saving several shots from distance on the occasions when the home side threatened to double their lead, the Baggies pressed forward and tested the home defence several times as half-time approached.

After the interval the Baggies drove forward in search of an equaliser.

After several near misses, led by the driving runs of Harry Greenwood, with seven minutes left of normal time Ben Thompson was felled in the area and the referee pointed to the spot.

Greenwood struck the kick with aplomb high into the net to make it 1-1.

By this stage the Baggies had made several substitutions as they strived to win in normal time, but seven added minutes proved fruitless and 30 minutes of extra time beckoned.

Just two minutes into the first period of extra time the home side were awarded a penalty which was converted by Cadette.

The Baggies took a while to pick up the pace again and strive forward in search of a second equaliser.

Rovers substitutes Excel Iwhiwu and Woody Cole combined to put the result beyond doubt five minutes from the end as Cole fired past Lott to make it 3-1 following a sustained period of Baggies pressure.

By Nigel Beesley