AS A player, Stuart Pearce’s experiences from 12 yards took a capricious path, but the demons that haunted him for six long years returned last night as he suffered his first embarrassment as the manager of Manchester City.

A game hinging entirely on spot kicks eventually consigned Pearce to the list of top-flight Carling Cup casualties at the hands of lower-league opposition, this time in the humble environs of South Yorkshire.

With only two League One victories to their name this season, Doncaster belied their status, more than 50 positions below City in the football ladder, to secure a famous scalp. The fact that it was Jan Budtz, Doncaster’s second-choice goalkeeper — called into action after Andy Warrington had been taken off on a stretcher — who emerged as one of their many heroes, only added insult to injury.

And it will be of little consolation to the Barclays Premiership side that Graham Salisbury, the referee, who controversially sent off Nedum Onuoha for a foul on Warrington in extra time, announced less than an hour after the final whistle that he would be rescinding the red card.

Pearce, who atoned for the heartache of his miss against Germany in the 1990 World Cup semi-final with a successful penalty against Spain in Euro 96, said: “Credit to Doncaster, because by the time of penalties it looked as if things were conspiring against us. I can’t stand here and offer any excuses because I fielded a strong side.

“We didn’t pass the ball well enough all night and 1-1 after normal time was probably a fair reflection on my side. My team are bitterly disappointed that we’ve gone out of the competition. We’re just going to have to move on from this and make sure we don’t have too many more bad days.”

Pearce’s determination to avoid becoming another high-profile casualty was evident by his meticulous attention to detail in preparing for last night’s second-round tie. A trip to Belle Vue Stadium last weekend was proof that his claim of taking the much-maligned competition seriously was not mere lip service.

Doncaster have hardly lit up League One since their elevation from the fourth strata of English football in 2004, but the elimination of Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth on Tuesday night provided hope and the animated Pearce was forced to fidget on the touchline as the home side sensed an upset. Vociferous penalty appeals were waved away when Ben Thatcher clumsily challenged Lewis Guy in the area before Stephen Ireland had to prevent Michael McIndoe’s goal-bound shot from finding the target after a dangerous counter-attack.

Sun Jihai came close to winning the tie for City in normal time with a close-range shot that struck the crossbar, but with the sides cancelling each other out, an extra half an hour became an inevitability.

Darius Vassell finally broke the deadlock five minutes into extra time when Phil McGuire brought down Richard Dunne with a trailing leg, but McIndoe levelled from the spot after Sylvain Distin was adjudged to have climbed over Paul Heffernan when heading clear. Then came the shoot-out and, after Vassell had struck the crossbar, Budtz saved from Antoine Sibierski and Dunne to secure Doncaster’s passage.

Dave Penney, the Doncaster manager, said: “I had full confidence in our goalkeeper for the penalties and there was no pressure on him whatsoever. They showed us full respect and wanted to win the competition, but we’ve competed with them. This is one of the great giantkillings and a fantastic night for the football club.”

DONCASTER ROVERS (4-4-2): A Warrington (sub: J Budtz, 105min) — P McGuire, S McDaid, S Roberts, M Albrighton — U Predic (sub: R Ravenhill, 52), P Green, J Coppinger, M McIndoe — L Fortune-West, L Guy (sub: P Heffernan, 80). Substitutes not used: D Mulligan, N Roberts.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): D James — Sun Jihai, S Distin, R Dunne, B Thatcher — C Reyna, Y Hussein (sub: L Croft, 65),N Onuoha, S Ireland — D Vassell, A Sibierski. Substitutes not used: G de Vlieger, D Sommeil, S Jordan, M Richards. Booked: Thatcher, Ireland. Sent off: Onuoha.

Referee: G Salisbury.

• The draw for the third round will be screened live at noon this Saturday on Sky Sports 1