Boss Damon Lathrope hailed Grace Garrad’s technical qualities after her 30-yard rocket at the end of extra-time sent Watford Women into the second round of the League Cup with a dramatic 1-0 victory at AFC Wimbledon.

With yesterday's tie looking destined for penalties, Gemma Davison played the ball to the defender who took a touch before firing home from distance to prompt jubilant celebrations among the visitors.

"She’s got unbelievable technique,” the head coach told the club website. “We see it in training, she’s technically one of the best players we’ve got, and I was confident she was going to at least work the goalkeeper.

“You don’t know how many times she’s going to stick it in the top corner like that, but she’s definitely got the ability to do it.

“I don’t normally celebrate goals, but I did this time! It was nice because it was a game that got a bit fiery, and rightly so with it being the cup. We’re delighted to still be in the competition.”

Lathrope smiled that his team “needed the minutes” of extra-time having not played for two weeks, but he was optimistic his side would make the breakthrough in the end.

He said: "I was very confident that in those 30 minutes we’d get the job done. They were desperate for the game to end, and we were desperate for it to carry on, which tells you everything you need to know in my opinion. We were excellent at the back.

“They had a game plan. They were good, and I’m sure they’ll go close in their league this year. I didn’t think we were at our best, so that probably made for a tighter game.”

The Golden Girls survived an early scare when Hannah Billingham’s header hit the crossbar, before Helen Ward and Nicola Gibson had the best of the visitors’ first-half chances.

Davison set up a number of opportunities for herself and her teammates after the break, the closest coming when Poppy Wilson hit the post.

Megan Chandler went even closer in the opening stages of extra-time when her header was cleared off the line, while Bianca Baptiste fired a volley narrowly wide.

The Dons were to be reduced to ten players a minute from the end of the extra 30 when Emma Plewa was sent off for violent conduct, but they were unable to hold out until the final whistle thanks to Garrad’s superb strike.