Ince nets a hat-trick as Dons emphatically knocked out of League Cup at Watford

MK Dons were dealt a heavy defeat at the hands of Championship side Watford on Tuesday night, beaten 5-0 at Vicarage Road to exit the Carabao Cup.

Separated by two divisions, the gulf in quality was evident from the opening whistle as the Hornets led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Mattie Pollock and Tom Ince. The son for former Dons boss Paul would go on to complete his hat-trick in the second-half as Watford ran riot, scoring twice after substitute Kwadwo Baah nipped Dons' threats at a resurgence in the bud with the third.

After the opening game of the season saw Dons beaten by Bradford City, Mike Williamson made eight changes to the side to face the Championship side. The only remainders were Sam Sherring, Joe Tomlinson and Callum Hendry, who was joined up front by Ellis Harrison.

Unlike the game two years ago between the sides, there was now two divisions between the sides and it showed despite the wholesale changes in both ranks. Tom Cleverley's men started brightly and pressed Dons high, keeping them firmly in their own territory in the early stages. Mileta Rajovic squandered an early opportunity by swiping wide from the corner of the six-yard box, while Tom Ince lifted the ball over Nathan Harness but he too failed to hit the target.

Dons were limited to long-range efforts - very long range in fact - with both Tommy Leigh and Joe Tomlinson spotting Hornets keeper Jonathan Bond off his line and chancing their arm from 40+ yards.

Watford's pressure would eventually tell though, with skipper Mattie Pollock lofting a header over the desparing dive of Harness on 24 minutes to give the hosts the lead.

There was a mini-resurgence when Ellis Harrison dropped deep to get on the ball more, dragging the game by the scruff of the net with a few breaks, but he was ploughing a lonely furrow. When Tomlinson blasted a free-kick over the bar from the edge of the penalty area, the momentum shifted again and Watford turned up the wick in the run up to half-time.

Tom Dele-Bashiru forced Harness into a good save and Francisco Sierralta clipped a header off the bar as Dons desperately sought the interval, but they would not make it without conceding on the brink. A great diagonal ball picked out the run of Ryan Andrews who burnt Joe Pritchard for pace, putting it on a place for Ince - son of former Dons boss Paul - to tap in.

Three changes at half-time, introducing the likes of Alex Gilbey, Stephen Wearne and Jack Tucker seemed to make a difference for Dons in the first 15 minutes of the second-half as they looked the better side all of a sudden. Gilbey and Wearne were immediately involved in a counter-attack which saw Tomlinson's shot saved, while Tucker denied Rajovic with a brilliant tackle.

Such was Dons' growing control of the game, Hornets boss Cleverley introduced Kwadwo Baah, Mamadou Doumbia and Yasser Larouchi which swung the game firmly back in Watford's favour.

It sparked a 10 minute spell to forget for keeper Harness too as Watford scored three times in quick succession to put the game firmly out of Dons' reach. The first saw substitutes Doumbia and Baah combine for the latter to fire goalwards, seeing it squirm through Harness' gloves for Watford's third.

The fourth swiftly followed when Ince took aim from the edge of the box, and Harness again allowed it through his grasp, before Ince completed his hat-trick as the keeper presented him with it after failing to catch Baah's shot, leaving the 32-year-old with a simple finish from two yards.

It made things much more downbeat in the final 15 minutes for Dons as the travelling support filed out of the away end ahead of time, their Carabao Cup journey at an end for another season.

Referee: Lewis Smith

Watford: Bond, Sierralta (Tikvic 76), Pollock, Ince, Rajovic (Baah 62), Louza, Vata (Doumbia 62), Sema (Larouchi 62), Morris, Dele-Bashiru (Ramirez-Espain 76), Andrews

Subs not used: Marriott, Porteous, Bayo, Kayembe

MK Dons: Harness, Pritchard (Tucker 46), Lewington, Sherring (Nemane 70), Tomlinson, Tripp, Williams, Carroll, Leigh (Gilbey 46), Hendry (Wearne 46), Harrison (Singh-Hurditt 88)

Subs not used: McGill, Kelly, Offord, Scholtz

Booked: Williams