A second-half double from David Connolly and a solo goal from Michail Antonio built the Saints a 3-0 lead before late strikes from Darryl Duffy and Jeff Hughes reduced the deficit.

Visiting boss Pardew, who tasted an FA Cup final as West Ham manager, believes his League One team can go a lot further in the competition.

He said: "I just want home ties because I believe we can beat anyone at St Marys. A lot of clubs won't mind being drawn away to us because we can attract 22,000 crowds so let's hope the draws are kind to us

"We made it difficult in the end and maybe I made a mistake with a substitution, but in the end all was well.

"It's a competition I love and it would be great to go on a run. At 3-2 the fans behind me were reminding me of Steven Gerrard's late goal against West Ham in the Cup final, which was nice of them. I was a bit nervous at that stage because Rovers showed great spirit."