• Paul Hayes scores two before half-time for Preston
• Wolves hammer Walsall, Wigan held by Oldham

A lacklustre Blackburn Rovers were shown up by their Lancashire neighbours Preston North End in a 3-0 drubbing tonight.

Two first-half headers from summer signing Paul Hayes, the second of them from a cross delivered by the former Blackburn player Keith Treacy, put Preston in control before Michel Salgado fouled Sean St Ledger and Chris Brown scored Preston’s third from the penalty spot.

There was better fortune for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a successful short trip to Walsall ended in a resounding 4-0 win.

Ninteen-year-old striker Ashley Hemmings headed the opener from Greg Halford’s fine cross and Sam Vokes scored twice in five minutes shortly before half-time, first tapping in Scott Malone’s cross and then seizing on defensive confusion to make it 3-0.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake powered into the box to smash home an emphatic fourth and substitute Kevin Doyle was a handful for the League One club, three times going close.

Wigan Athletic were held to a 1-1 draw at Oldham and were forced to come from behind to secure that result, having fallen behind in the first half when Dale Stevens volleyed home superbly after running onto a poor clearance on the edge of Wigan’s 18-yard box.

The equaliser came when Jordi Gómez was clumsily hauled down in the penalty area by Paul Black and got up to convert the penalty.

Blackburn RoversPreston North EndDave Middletonguardian.co.uk

• Blackburn manager says Capello has made ‘biggest mistake’
• Says ‘13 clean sheets speak for themselves’

The Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, believes the England coach, Fabio Capello, has made “completely the wrong decision” in leaving the goalkeeper Paul Robinson out of his preliminary World Cup squad.

Capello picked the Portsmouth veteran David James, Joe Hart – who has excelled while on loan from Manchester City to Birmingham – and West Ham’s Robert Green in the 30-man party from which he will choose his 23 for this summer’s tournament in South Africa.

Allardyce said Robinson’s form and experience warranted a place in the squad.

“I am staggered, totally. It is completely the wrong decision,” Allardyce told the Lancashire Telegraph. “If you look at [Robinson's] form for Rovers, there has not been a better goalkeeper who has been so consistent.

“Fabio has always said the people in form would get selected. There is nobody better than Paul Robinson at the moment, so there must be something before that has happened to put him off him, as a person and not as a goalkeeper.

“He has made the biggest mistake of his selection process, has Fabio. As much as I respect him for what he has done that is one big, big mistake.

“Thirteen clean sheets speak for themselves. There have to be other reasons why he hasn’t selected him because there is nobody in better form than Paul Robinson.

“Perhaps ‘Harty’ can run him close but he hasn’t got 40-odd England caps of experience and hasn’t played in any major championships so it would be much more valuable having Paul Robinson there than it would be to have Joe Hart – never mind the David James scenario, who is spasmodically in and out because it seems he has a bit of an injury problem.”

World Cup 2010World Cup 2010 Group CEnglandSam AllardyceBlackburn Roversguardian.co.uk

A season that started with a dismal home defeat ended in exactly the same fashion for Aston Villa as Richard Dunne’s own goal six minutes from time gave Blackburn Rovers a rare away victory. Liverpool’s failure to win at Hull City meant that Villa held on to sixth place but this felt like a highly unsatisfactory way to finish a campaign that had promised so much but ended up being a story of ifs, buts and maybes.

In truth, this never had the makings of a classic and for long periods in the first half it was easy to forget that a football match was actually taking place. Paul Robinson made a fine save to thwart James Collins in the seventh minute but it was just before the interval when Villa threatened again, the same player skidding a raking shot which the Blackburn goalkeeper pawed into the path of Gabriel Agbonlahor before smothering at the striker’s feet.

Blackburn had offered little before the break but there was renewed belief to their play after the restart and Steve Bennett should have pointed to the penalty spot when Collins clearly brought down David Dunn. Instead the referee waved away the appeals and, with the incident no doubt playing on his mind, sought to even things up at the other end when Christopher Samba fouled John Carew in the penalty area.

The game was edging towards a goalless draw at that point but one more Blackburn flurry down the Villa right brought late reward. Martin Olsson found the space to deliver an inviting cross and as Dunne sought to get in front of Junior Hoilett, the central defender, who picked up the players’ player of the year award on Wednesday night, sent a diving header beyond Brad Friedel.

Premier LeagueAston VillaBlackburn RoversStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk