Marvin Sordell scored only the Hornets third goal of the season in the second minute after sliding in to divert Craig Forsyth's low centre, only to see Matt Harrold thump in an equaliser three minutes later. After a goalless extra time period the game went to penalties, Watford missing two of their first four spot kicks, giving Mustapha Carayol the chance to settle the game, the Gambian international obliging with the 12 yard winner.
From the early stages the match looked to be a thriller and within two minutes Watford opened the scoring, Craig Forsyth scampering down the left wing on a break, sweeping a low ball into the box that Marvin Sordell knocked past Rovers goalkeeper Scott Bevan to open his account for the season.
Just a couple of minutes after the restart the game turned back the way of the Pirates as Matt Harrold collected the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing a venomous drive from all of 25 yards that had Rene Gilmartin diving in vain to his left, unable to sustain his sides slender advantage.
Watford's front pairing of Sordell and Troy Deeney linked up well throughout and the latter could have snatched back the lead after twenty minutes but Bevan was quick off his line to smother at the ex-Walsall man's feet.
Soon after the match almost swung Rovers way, Harrold knocking down a Jo Kuffour cross into the path of Chris Zebroski who failed to connect with his swinging right boot. Kuffour hadn't given up on the move, however, following in and hitting the underside of the crossbar off of Gilmartin's body, only to see the ball bounce back down plum onto the line and away from goal.
Watford were having the better of the first half proceedings and the loss of central defender Cian Bolger further added to Rovers woes as Deeney again missed chances, flashing a header wide from a Mark Yeates cross before rifling a shot that forced Bevan to push the ball into the side netting.
Kuffour hit a low shot wide but it was at the other end where Josh Walker hit a cracker that thundered off of Bevan's crossbar, meaning the sides went in level at half time.
Into the second half and Harrold and Kuffour saw efforts miss the target, only for the Hornets to take the game by the scruff of the neck, Lloyd Doyley hitting an instinctive effort from range that took a bounce before going out of play via Bevan's right hand post, the Rovers custodian failing to react to the full back's shot. John Eustace was the next to be involved, hitting wide after Forsyth's shot was blocked.
And so it went to extra time, by which point Watford were in full control, Wayne Brown having replaced the imposing Harrold leaving the Gas with little power or presence to hold the ball up front, the away side able to control phase after phase of the play.
The best chance of the extra period went to Eustace, the visiting captain forcing Bevan to drop to his left to stop the downward header while Rovers substitute Mustapha Carayol fired wide at the other end.
The second half of extra time was far more even and there were two late chances for the home side to take the tie. Firstly Kuffour was unable to get on the end of a McGleish ball, the veteran striker reacting quickly to the half clearance as he volleyed a shot directly at Adrian Mariappa.
Moments later came the final opportunity of the game, Wayne Brown hitting a bending free kick that looked for all the world to be heading into the top corner, Gilmartin, though, had other ideas as he tipped the ball behind for a corner.
That was to be it for a game that had kept the 4,432 crowd on the edge of their seats for two hours, penalties the only way the contest was going to be sorted.
Jo Kuffour stepped up first for Rovers, sending Gilmartin the wrong way. Watford's first kick taker was Eustace, his low effort hitting Bevan, bouncing up onto crossbar and away from the goal.
The most experienced man on the pitch, Scott McGleish, failed to utilise what he had learned in his 17 year Football League career as he dragged his penalty wide, Sordell equalising with his own spot kick.
Adam Virgo and Mariappa cancelled out eachother's strikes before Wayne Brown powered his penalty past Gilmartin. The pressure moved onto Carl Dickinson and it seemed to get the better of him as Bevan produced his second save of the shootout.
That left Carayol with the chance to finish the match and with consummate coolness the winger slotted the ball home to hand Rovers a second round tie away to Leyton Orient.
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