Having watched ineptitude and Blackburn and meek surrender at Blackpool, it was hard to imagine Watford could serve up anything worse away from home – but this pitiful and totally deserved mauling by the Lions rivalled those two as it was every bit as grimly inexcusable.

The Hornets were never in it. As early as the seventh minute they showed they were vulnerable to long balls into the box and having got the lead so early, Millwall then played to their strengths which also happened to be Watford’s weaknesses.

However, while not being able to cope with direct balls into the box is perhaps something that can be explained given Millwall are so good at it, what it is far harder to understand is why the Hornets once again were so lacking in spirit, fight and passion.

They had enough of the ball – 66% possession over the 90 minutes – but lacked any conviction with it. Home keeper Long certainly won’t need to wash his kit as there’s little dirt or sweat on it, he was so under employed.

The early goal was bad enough, but it got worse as twice Watford simply did not win the first header from two Millwall set pieces. Then, to add insult to injury, they failed to collect or clear the second ball and that was all the invitation Bradshaw needed as he completed a hat-trick after little more than half an hour.

From then on in it was a question of whether Millwall fancied more or were happy with what they had.

The second half was painful: not because Millwall tore Watford to shreds but because they didn’t need to. The Hornets did nothing to alter the game and in the end the home side comfortably saw the evening out.

Their fans taunted the Hornets were every insulting song and chant they knew, they started the ironic ‘oles’ when Watford strung a few passes together and spotted every Watford fan who understandably left early (and there were plenty, from an hour onwards).

Norwich looked a very distant and false dawn – and with the prospect of Luton coming over the hill, this was a miserable, humbling and worrying night.

The Hornets made one change to the starting line-up that beat Norwich at the weekend, with Craig Cathcart left out as a precaution. Mattie Pollock came in to make his first league start.

The home side’s direct style unsettled Watford from the off and they went behind after only seven minutes when Pollock tried to cushion a header from a high ball but it landed in the path of Bradshaw, and he steered a shot beyond Bachmann.

The keeper then had to tip a Cooper header over the bar before things got worse for the visitors as Louza was stretchered off after a heavy challenge.

Sarr shot over the bar in a rare attack but Millwall made it 2-0 after 26 minutes and again it came from a high ball into the box. This time a free-kick was flicked on, Flemming drilled a low cross from the left and Bradshaw was unmarked inside the six-yard box to prod home.

Six minutes later Bradshaw had his hat-trick and, as before, it was an aerial pass that did the damage. Watford didn’t win the first header from a free kick and then failed to clear the loose ball, allowing the Millwall striker to sweep home from eight yards out.

As first halves go, it was about as bad as you could imagine – and the Watfird players were booed back onto the pitch by their own fans when they emerged after half-time.

Bilic made two changes during the break, replacing Choudhury and Sema with Pedro and Kalu.

However, by the hour mark fans in the away end were heading for the exits as there was little sign of any sort of fight back from Watford.

The game was slowly and painfully petering out with Watford seemingly unable to do anything about it, and the home fans bringing out their full repertoire of insulting songs and chants. And who could blame them really.

Watford: Bachmann; Gosling, Troost-Ekong, Pollock, Kamara; Choudhury (Pedro ht), Louza (Kayembe 17); Sarr, Asprilla, Sema (Kalu ht); Davis (Bayo 73): Subs: Okoye, Gaspar, Morris