A proud Micky Mellon conceded that he may have got his team selection wrong after watching Tranmere fight back from 3-0 down to clinch a sensational 3-3 draw against Premier League Watford in the FA Cup 3rd Round.

League One Rovers looked dead and buried at halftime, after Tom Dele-Bashiru, Roberto Pereyra and Nathaniel Chalobah gave the Hornets a healthy cushion, but the visitors had other ideas and thanks to the intervention of VAR twice, goals from Connor Jennings, Manny Monthe and a late Paul Mullin penalty stunned Watford, who also had Pereyra sent off late on.

The draw means that there will now be a cash-spinning replay at Prenton Park on Tuesday 14 January, but first team boss Mellon accepted that things could’ve got off to a better start.

He said: “I picked the team and have to have a look at that myself and wonder if I got that right. We were worried about Woodsy (Callum Woods) playing so many games in so many days because we know we’ve got big games coming up.

“So we probably forced that shape upon ourselves a wee bit. But still, the goals that we gave away were poor. In the second half, we changed it a wee bit.

“At half time I said to Jacko (Assistant Manager Mike Jackson) my heart’s bleeding here because you saw that support behind the goal and you just thought – come on boys, come on. All of us, let’s get something for them. Let’s really fight for them, because it was phenomenal support, it really was.

“And then to see us get on the front foot and start to win more of the knock downs, closing down, running forward and overloading them in areas – I just thought, go and make it interesting. 

“And we do and then we go and get another one and it’s really interesting now. We all love VAR now. I never liked it before but I love it now.

“(It was) unbelievable drama. Everybody will say it’s what the cup is all about but I’m really pleased for the fans and the football club because it’s an important second half for us that.”

VAR technology was only in use because the match was played at Vicarage Road – a Premier League ground.

It proved crucial on the day, helping to award not only Jennings’ header but also the crucial spot kick in the 87th minute, but Mellon was looking elsewhere when it was taken.

He said: “For the penalty I could tell that he took Corey Blackett-Taylor’s legs. Then we’ve got someone upstairs who’s taken a look at it and said that’s a penalty and I’ve thought ‘wow’ we’ve made it 3-3. 

“I was able to take a step back and just look at the fans. Ball in the back of the net, Tranmere made it 3-3 at a Premier League club. It doesn’t get much better than that.”