SAM Allardyce has refused to blame Blackburn Rovers’ FA Cup exit on Premier League priorities after accusing his squad players of lacking passion and desire.

Leon Best’s 59th-minute winner saw Coventry deservedly take Rovers’ scalp for the second season in succession, leaving a frustrated Allardyce baffled by a dire second-half showing at the Ricoh Arena.

With half an eye of Sunday’s crucial Premier League trip to Hull, the Rovers boss made 11 changes from the side that bravely lost at Old Trafford last weekend – but Allardyce insists their forthcoming survival battle was no excuse.

He said: “We had 11 players who should have more capable of running around than anyone else at the football club but they didn’t do a lot of running around in that second half from what I saw.

“I was very disappointed with the attitude in terms of closing the players down and stopping them playing.

"We had no problems doing that in the first half and stopping doing that in the second is the reason why we lost.

“The FA Cup is not the priority but that does not mean the 11 players I picked today should not have gone and won that game. I think they should.

“They wanted the opportunity to play first team football, they think they deserve the opportunity to play more first team football. In the first half they were showing me that, in the second they didn’t.”

After dominating the opening exchanges, Rovers became very much second best to their Championship hosts as they were increasingly out-fought and out-thought.

Chris Samba was just seconds away from forcing extra time in the dying seconds, heading wide from yards out, but Allardyce knows any equaliser would have been rough justice.

“I am disappointed they could not up their levels of commitment physically,” he said.

“The goal spurred Coventry on but that should have made sure we competed and tried to use our ability.

“Using your abilities only comes when you have matched them.

"We did not win the battle. Players have to realise it is about physical attributes before ability.

“Ability comes after that, you can’t win with that alone, you have to match your opponents physically. And have more desire and passion, we didn’t.

“It is too easy to make excuses because I pick a side to win every time I pick it. You have to think ahead and what comes after it.

"Premier League safety is the priority but we all want to be dreaming about a cup final.”

“We lost our passing game, we lost our quality of ball, we lost our game too much in all aspects.

"It was only the dying minutes when Roque had a header and Chris Samba had a very good chance I thought he had scored with.”