This was the second time in less than a year that referee Rob Styles had sent two Watford players off in a game.

BSAD report: So, Rob Styles might be – well, is – a truly atrocious referee. The contempt with which Graham Taylor spoke of him last season would be enough to convince me, even without witnessing his acts of wanton vandalism first hand. But we were the beneficiaries of his chaotic rule on at least two occasions here – once, when Micah Hyde was given a lecture rather than a booking for a particularly crude challenge from behind; later, when Reid was booked for diving after clearly being felled by Blondeau as he dashed into the box. In truth, while Styles provided a choking smokescreen, we ought to be both encouraged by our resilient performance and somewhat frustrated that it didn’t yield a better result.