Finn O’Mara’s disappointment at missing out on an FA Cup game for Folkestone was soon forgotten when he stepped out at Ewood Park for the Gills.

He was recalled from a loan spell at Folkestone a day before their big FA Cup third qualifying round tie against Aylesbury United.

O’Mara has been enjoying his loan spell, which was only recently extended for a further month.

But injuries at the Gills meant he was needed as a substitute at Blackburn and when Mark Byrne tweaked his hamstring with 20 minutes left, O’Mara got the nod.

“It was a weird one,” said the 18-year-old, who was quickly in the thick of the action.

“I was told I was being recalled for the game on Friday and I was chuffed, but I was also wishing I played in the (FA Cup) game.

“But now I have made my debut it made up for it. I am over the moon.”

He was faced with the threat of Blackburn supersub Harry Chapman, a lively left-winger. Within minutes Chapman had taken a dive following a challenge from O’Mara.

“I never touched him,” said O’Mara afterwards and the referee agreed, cautioning the Rovers man for what Gills interim boss Peer Taylor described as a “rascal dive.”

It was certainly a brutal introduction to life as a pro.

“I was a bit nervous,” he admitted. “But I thought I grew into the game a bit better.

“There were a couple of times I dived into (challenges) but I will go over the footage with Peter Taylor and the coaching team and see what I can do better. I just had so much energy. I thought I did okay.”

It was certainly a different weekend than he had been planning, with Folkestone playing in front of 400-odd fans.

“It is just a tad different,” he joked, after appearing in front of 10,000. “I said I am sorry to Folkestone (for not being able to play) but it wasn’t my decision.”