Old Watford is a day by day scrapbook style history of Watford Football Club matches told through programmes, newspapers, books, fanzines, videos and weblinks.
The player we could least afford to lose for, effectively, four games was Troy. He’s the one. Not the best player in the side, perhaps, but the one we are least equipped to cope without. It was harsh, yes, the red card. He made it possible too, undoubtedly. Equally beyond doubt that, like Ben Foster and Craig Cathcart he’s well, well in credit. “People who do things make mistakes”. We’ve paid heavily for this one… at least three points across the four games by any reasonable reckoning.
Watford went on to strike the woodwork twice, and Arsenal were reliant on an excellent performance from goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The German turned Craig Cathcart’s effort on to a post and saved acrobatically from Etienne Capoue’s free-kick before half-time. After the break it was much of the same, with Adam Masina smashing the bar from range. Arsenal were also in the debt of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, on as a substitute, who did brilliantly to block Andre Gray’s effort when an equaliser appeared certain.