After 42 years, but with the considerable consolation of a Premiership title to disturb the dust in the club's trophy cabinet in the interim, Blackburn eased their way back into a major cup final last night.
Long-standing Rovers partisans would say about time, too. They may have won the Full Members Cup in 1987, but that hardly erased the distant memory of the club's 3-0 FA Cup final defeat to Wolves in 1960. Having emerged from this fractious two-leg semi-final with Sheffield Wednesday, a bigger stage awaits next month.
At the same stage nine years ago the Yorkshiremen eased to a 4-2 win here before losing to Arsenal at Wembley. Yet, having shipped home goals to Andy Cole and Craig Hignett two weeks ago, Wednesday travelled in hope rather than expectation.
Saturday's league win at Burnley did little for their preparations, a goalkeeping crisis forcing them to draft in Paul Heald on loan from Wimbledon's reserves to cover for the injured Kevin Pressman and Chris Stringer. By the interval the 33-year-old must have been questioning his wisdom in joining Wednesday.
Not that the visitors' breakneck start suggested as much. Wednesday whipped up a frantic opening, flustering Martin Taylor sufficiently for him to waste rare possession though Gerald Sibon could only spear a shot wide.
The striker, marauding forward, then found his range from farther out, a 20-yard shot forcing Brad Friedel into a desperate dive to turn the ball wide. But that was as good as it got for the underdogs.
Instead, Cole's guile and clever running increasingly added weight to Blackburn's attacking intent. Even in the air he dominated, a neatly flicked header from Taylor's punt sending his live-wire partner into the area before Jansen shot straight at Heald.
The England hopeful was then surprised to connect with Stig Inge Bjornebye's left-wing crossand shinned it wide of a post.
But the visitors' luck did not hold. Bjornebye's throw flicked off Ashley Westwood, jumping with Jansen at the near post, and Hignett's resulting corner dribbled across the six-yard box for Taylor to side-foot on to a post.
The defender should have scored but, with Heald mesmerised, Jansen reacted quickest to score via the bar.
The concession deflated Wednesday. Jansen should have added a second, dragging a shot wide, before Hignett nodded over. Unperturbed, Damien Duff danced on to Tugay's pass and placed his shot into the far corner.
Cole, still awaiting the goal his display deserved, forced Heald to tip a ferocious shot round the post.
Yet his frustration at seeing that effort saved hardly justified his involvement in the handbags that followed Garry Flitcroft's two-foot lunge on Trond-Egil Soltvedt. Cole saw yellow, but his captain was dismissed. The midfielder faces a three-match ban, the third of which is likely to be the final.
That rattled Rovers, with Bjornebye handling in the melee following Alan Quinn's corner. Efan Ekoku duly slammed in the penalty but rather than spur Wednesday on, Cole finally found his reward, thumping home Duff's late cross before Soltvedt and Hignett traded late goals.
Guardian Service
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Curtis, Taylor, Johansson, Bjornebye, Flitcroft, Tugay, Hignett, Duff, Jansen (Mahon 61), Cole. Subs Not Used: Berg, Hughes, Grabbi, Kelly. Sent Off: Flitcroft (53). Booked: Hignett, Cole, Mahon. Goals: Jansen 35, Duff 37, Cole 82, Hignett 88.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Heald, Haslam, Bromby, Westwood, Geary (O'Donnell 71), Hamshaw (Bonvin 45), Soltvedt, McLaren, Quinn, Sibon, Ekoku. Subs Not Used: Donnelly, Maddix, Roberts. Booked: Haslam, Westwood, Ekoku, Geary. Goals: Ekoku 59 pen, Soltvedt 85.
Referee: M Riley (Leeds).
Blackburn win 6-3 on aggregate
