London  - A second-half goal from Carlos Villanueva helped Blackburn Rovers reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win Monday at non-league Blyth Spartans.

The Chilean midfielder curled in a free kick 13 minutes into the second half to seal Blackburn's place in the last 32 of the competition.

Rovers will now play at Sunderland in the fourth round.

"It was very comfortable until the last five to 10 minutes, but having not converted our chances they were bound to get a chance at some stage," Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce said.

"It would have been disappointing had we not won this game. It was a wonderful goal from Carlos. We should have been a bit more clinical."

Blackburn had the ball in the Blyth net in the first half when Blyth defender Andrew Leeson turned in Matt Derbyshire's shot, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Rovers dominated possession and finally got their reward when Villaneuva curled in a fine free kick on 58 minutes.

Blyth's Andrew Wright volleyed narrowly wide in the dying minutes, but Rovers hung on to advance to the fourth round.

Despite their defeat, Blyth manager Harry Dunn said he could not have asked for more from his team.

"I'm so proud of the players. This has been a really fantastic experience for us," he said.

"The supporters were fantastic, we went a goal down, and the fans were even better. It was a great night for us." (dpa)