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8th December 2020- Championship, Watford 2 Rotherham United 0

For the second game running a limited number of fans were allowed to attend. The official attendance was 1,976.

BBC Sport: Watford climbed to third in the Championship as two early goals were enough for them to see off out-of-form Rotherham United.

Sky Sports: Deeney flicked on Ken Sema’s delivery and centre-back Kabasele stuck out a long leg to net from five yards.

Official site: Christian Kabasele gave the team the early goal you always need against a lower-ranked team who set their stall out with plenty of men behind the ball and then Troy Deeney, having had a major hand in the first, scored the second around ten minutes later to drive home the advantage. This is what the fans came back to see, what they had been teased with on Hive Live during the behind-closed-doors Championship games. It felt like a long way back for Rotherham at that point.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55140393

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8th December 2012- Championship, Watford 1 Hull City 2

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BBC SportHull won at Watford for a third straight away victory that moves them up to fourth in the Championship.

BHappy imageIf we’re being as demanding of ourselves as we ought to be, then we should conclude that we were sloppy and complacent for much of the game against Barnsley…and that we got away with it because our opponents weren’t good enough to take advantage. None of that here: Hull set themselves out to stick a spanner into every single one of our stock passing moves, while remaining patient and watchful and quietly potent when possession came their way. They were far too much for us, and that made for a fascinating tussle between what we are and what we might yet be, a revealing insight into how close we are to being the finished article.

http://watford.fcdb.info?s=42285&id=5038
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3rd December 2022- Friendly, Arsenal 2 Watford 4 (played at Arsenal’s training ground in London Colney)

Behind closed doors

Official site: Goals in either half from Keinan Davis helped to secure a 4-2 win for Watford over Arsenal at the Gunners’ training ground in London Colney in a competitive friendly test.

Watford Observer: It was a game in which both side made numerous substitutions: Joao Pedro was the only player to play the full 90 minutes for the Hornets, while the Gunners changed all 10 outfield players at half-time.

26th November 2022- Friendly, Watford 1 Blackpool 1 (played at the Pinatar Arena, Spain)

Game played behind closed doors

Official site: Slaven Bilić handed match minutes to 18 Hornets in a competitive 1-1 draw with fellow Championship side Blackpool to close out their week-long training camp in Spain. Keinan Davis fired home on the stroke of half-time in response to Sonny Carey’s early opener for the Tangerines, assisted by Colombian midfielder Yáser Asprilla.

Watford Observer: Head coach Slaven Bilic took the chance to take a look at Jeremy Ngakia on the right side of defence for the first time, while midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru also started – though it must be said the line-up was almost totally changed during the interval.

12th November 2022- Championship, Bristol City 0 Watford 0

The programme was only available digitally

BBC Sport: Bristol City’s winless run stretched to five games as they fought out a goalless draw with Watford at Ashton Gate. The Robins enjoyed the better of the contest but were unable to find a way past visiting keeper Daniel Bachmann.

Sky Sports: City dominated for long periods without coming up with a finish, while the out-of-sorts visitors went the whole game without registering a shot on target.

BHappy: Shorn of Sarr, João Pedro and Asprilla on top of Louza we lack any verve whatsoever and all the cracks that their presence renders ignorable are painfully exposed.  Those four aren’t… an unfair advantage of course, for all that they are each surely destined to return to playing at the top level with or without Watford.  You’re allowedto have good players. Had we sold Sarr and/or JP over the summer as we surely expected to, we’d have invested in some Polyfilla (other brands are available) to fill some of those cracks.

Fran’s Watford Blog: At half time the City team of 97-98 were welcomed back for the 25th anniversary of the season in which they won promotion to the second tier.  It was a little ill advised to do that when Watford were visiting as our memory of the corresponding tie that season was of the home fans holding up a banner declaring themselves Champions.  Pride went before a fall and it was the Hornets who topped the division that season on our way to the Premier League.  Still, the first person to be introduced to the crowd was the manager that season, the wonderful John Ward, who was given a very warm reception by the travelling Hornets.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63523490

8th November 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Reading 0

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1  2

Attendance: 18,847

BBC Sport: Joao Pedro’s double was enough for a victory over Reading that sent Watford into the Championship play-off places.

Sky Sports: Goals in both halves ensured the Hertfordshire side bounced back from defeat against Coventry last weekend.

Fran’s Watford Blog: As this was the nearest home game to Remembrance Sunday, Bilić and Ince laid wreaths on the touchline and a trumpeter played the Last Post to impeccable silence in the ground.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62776174

5th November 2022- Championship, Watford 0 Coventry City 1

Attendance: 20,164

BBC Sport: Viktor Gyokeres scored the only goal of the game as Coventry City ended Watford’s three-game winning run with a hard-fought victory against the high-flying Hornets at Vicarage Road.

Sky Sports: A goal from Viktor Gyokeres five minutes into the second half turned out to be just enough on a day when Watford had a goal disallowed as well as seeing Ismaila Sarr miss a golden chance.

BHappy: Whilst the game’s outcome is hugely frustrating, any disappointment should by mitigated by the fact that whilst Coventry’s template is very much The Way To Play Against Watford, none have executed it as effectively as this.  We know that without Imrân Louza we are short of a lock-picker;  here Coventry are disciplined and focused in the face of what, for the first half hour or so, is a purposeful attack.  Come the second half they’ll be stretched, we could easily have come away with this with something so – annoying, but maybe a blessing in disguise.  We’re better, but not better enough to take anything for granted.

Fran’s Watford Blog: At half time, tribute was paid to Cliff Vassiliou who was a very familiar face at Vicarage Road before his passing earlier this year.  He would also often be seen at reserve and youth games with his best friend, Tom Walley.  They also remembered Paul Stallard, a lifelong fan who had given 25 years of service to the club.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63436136