Month: August 2013

25th August 2013- Championship, Watford 1 Nottingham Forest 1

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Nottingham Forest returned to the top of the Championship despite a sweet strike by Watford’s Lewis McGugan denying his former side victory.

Both are little men with big ambitions but there the similarity ends. Gianfranco Zola is urbane and mild-mannered, Billy Davies fierce and feisty. And it remains true that teams naturally reflect their managers.

The curse of the ex-player came back to haunt Nottingham Forest at Watford, but it could not stop them reclaiming top spot.

Forest weathered the sort of second-half fightback that is becoming Watford’s custom and would have had maximum points again but for the high-class save, low to his right, with which Manuel Almunia kept out Ishmael Miller’s goalbound shot.

In my head, we always draw one-all with Forest. It’s kind of an unwritten rule. Not strictly true in reality of course; nonetheless a glimpse at the record books reveals ten such outcomes in the last 30 league encounters spanning almost 30 years. It feels as if I’ve seen at least that many.

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More games from 25th August at https://oldwatford.com/tag/aug25/

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17th August 2013-Championship, Reading 3 Watford 3

10th August 2013- Championship, Watford 6 AFC Bournemouth 1

Troy Deeney fired in a hat-trick as Watford thrashed newly promoted Bournemouth to go top of the table.

Troy Deeney hit a hat-trick as Watford hammered Bournemouth 6-1 in their Championship clash at Vicarage Road.

Troy Deeney scored a second-half hat-trick as Watford demolished Bournemouth at Vicarage Road and sent a strong message to their Championship promotion rivals.

Watford signalled their Premier League ambitions with five goals in a ruthless second half display to crush newly-promoted Bournemouth.

Even for world-weary types like your correspondent, who prefer their battles hard-fought and their victories without any sense of entitlement, this is terribly hard to resist. It almost feels as if the anticlimax at Wembley didn’t happen; perhaps it was such a non-event, swimming in the spring heat haze, that any memories have simply evaporated and left little trace. What might’ve been a watershed moment just passed quietly into history, and here we are: the old gang, back together for another shot at the big time. Even for world-weary types, it’s a tantalising prospect.

3rd August 2013-Championship, Birmingham City 0 Watford 1

BBC report: Troy Deeney’s goal earned Watford an opening day win at Birmingham as they reacted in positive fashion to last season’s play-off final defeat.

Daily Telegraph report: New season it may be but having been thumped twice by Watford last term, Birmingham City supporters could be forgiven for approaching this opener with appropriate modesty.