Doncaster Rovers 3 Aston Villa 0: Heffernan roams free amid ruins of Villa

The idea that Villa might make light of another disappointing Premiership season by making significant progress in the Carling Cup was embarrassingly blown away in South Yorkshire last night as Doncaster Rovers of League One registered a thoroughly deserved and impressively emphatic victory.

The 19th-minute penalty by which they led at half-time may have given them a leg-up that Villa felt to be somewhat harsh. But there was no arguing with Doncaster's superiority in the second half as Paul Heffernan and Sean Thornton added to Michael McIndoe's spot-kick to claim a second Premiership scalp for Dave Penney's team in this season's competition and reach the quarter-finals only two years after they were promoted from the Conference.

The result was a bitter blow to David O'Leary, the Villa manager, whose line-up reflected the importance he had attached to the competition. But he was generous in his applause for Doncaster. "I knew they would not run out of steam," he said. "They are a good footballing side. There was not much in it in the first half, but they were better than us in the second half. We did want to do well in the competition, but the penalty decision knocked the stuffing out of us a bit and the second goal killed us."

Rovers add Villa's scalp to that of Manchester City, whom they beat on penalties in the second round, although Penney was rather less carried away than the thousands who invaded the pitch after the final whistle. He still rates winning the Conference play-off final in 2003 a greater achievement. "It was a great night but, for me, winning promotion to the League was bigger," he said.

His chairman, John Ryan, was a little more emotional. "We are playing champagne football, as good as anyone in Yorkshire," he said. You could excuse him his excitement. Having squeezed in their biggest crowd for 30 years, some 10,500, Rovers played with such energy and appetite they might have scored three or four goals before half-time.

True, the penalty award was on the generous side, James Coppinger's cross striking Liam Ridgewell's arm. But McIndoe converted decisively and Villa had been fortunate not to concede when McIndoe shot wide after Heffernan's cut back opened up a fine chance. Dave Mulligan put another good effort wide and it took a solid block by Jlloyd Samuel to stop Ricky Ravenhill testing Thomas Sorensen.

Villa had chances enough, with Steven Davis missing narrowly, Juan Pablo Angel volleying straight at the goalkeeper and Gareth Barry glancing a header wide. Mulligan, meanwhile, almost bundled the ball over his own line.

As the second half began, one would not have bet against a Villa recovery but, eight minutes in, the contest took on a different dynamic when Doncaster scored again. As Ridgewell failed to clear, Lewis Guy's ball through the middle found Heffernan unmarked. The Doncaster striker appeared nerveless as he drove home his eighth goal of the season.

This should have been the cue for a vigorous Villa response. Instead, it was the exuberant home side who stepped up another gear. Villa sent on Kevin Phillips as a third striker but their response became increasingly disjointed. It was no surprise, then, when Thornton, helped by a slight deflection, fired home a third goal from just outside the box to put the result beyond doubt with 11 minutes to go.

Doncaster Rovers (4-4-2): Seremet; Fenton, Foster, S Roberts, Mulligan; Coppinger, Ravenhill, Thornton, McIndoe; Guy (Green, 87), Heffernan. Substitutes not used: Budtz (gk), Fortune-West, Oji, N Roberts.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Sorensen; Hughes, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel (Phillips, 59); Milner, Davis, McCann, Barry; Angel, Baros. Substitutes not used: Hendrie, S Taylor (gk), De La Cruz, Moore.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).