Monthly Archives: October 2020

31st October 2020- Championship, Barnsley 1 Watford 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/barnsley-vs-watford/teams/429801

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The Hornets’ black third kit is, as Ben Foster would say, “a thing of beauty”, but it’s not a particularly lucky strip right now. It’s now played two, lost two and no goals scored after the team followed up the 1-0 defeat at Reading with a repeat at Oakwell.

Watford go third game without a win at Barnsley

Tepid Watford comfortably beaten away at Barnsley

Vladimir Ivic concerned after Watford lose to Barnsley

Watford players rated after defeat at Barnsley

Ben Wilmot takes the blame for Watford defeat at Barnsley

The Tykes took the lead after just six minutes courtesy of a screamer from captain Mowatt, whose effort from outside the box flew in off the inside of the post.

Watford carried a greater threat after the break without seriously discomfiting home keeper Jack Walton, but boss Vladimir lvic chose to keep £18.5m striker Andre Gray on the bench until the 76th minute.

Barnsley opened at a blistering pace. We’ve seen some aggressive pressing this season but this was something else altogether, rabid and ferocious. William Troost-Ekong’s third-minute booking was a bit harsh, but it reflected the degree to which we were already rattled. The home side capitalised… a slack pass from Wilmot didn’t reach Capoue, Alex Mowatt seized it and pinged a tremendous shot into the top corner. It wasn’t that far away from Ben Foster in truth as his reaction betrayed but it was a hell of a strike.

It was a far from Happy Halloween for the Hornets as Watford capped off a disappointing week with defeat to Barnsley at Oakwell. The podcast team try to work out what went wrong in a game that saw the visitors fail to register a single shot on target.

27th October 2020- Championship, Wycombe Wanderers 1 Watford 1

1-0

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Ismaīla Sarr can, it seems, do it in front of a packed house against the champions as well as an empty one in the Championship.

Watford draw away at Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers peg back Watford at Adams Park

Vladimir Ivic felt Watford were lucky not to lose at Wycombe

Watford players rated after Wycombe Wanderers steal a point

Vladimir Ivic wants Watford to adapt to Championship physicality

Ben Foster claims Watford have been average this season

Wycombe secured their first Sky Bet Championship point of the season with a 1-1 draw at home to Watford, but Gareth Ainsworth’s side could easily have claimed all three.

Ismaila Sarr headed home Kiko Femenia’s inch-perfect cross to open the scoring for the visitors against the run of play in the 52nd minute. But Wycombe, who lost their opening seven league matches coming into this fixture, were soon level as defender Anthony Stewart nodded in Joe Jacobson’s corner midway through the second half.

We can’t complain with a point, and no away point is a bad point. An away point at Wycombe might look a lot better in a month or two’s time than it does now. But we need to be able to score imperfect, scruffy goals if we’re going to be the cruelly effective side that we ought to be. We need a striker fit.

It was a tough night in Buckinghamshire for Watford who laboured to a draw against previously pointless Wycombe Wanderers, leaving supporters and Head Coach Vladimir Ivić pretty unimpressed. Download the new From the Rookery End to hear what Jon, Mike and Jas made of it, with The Athletic’s Watford correspondent Adam Leventhal also joining from the scene.

24th October 2020- Championship, Watford 1 AFC Bournemouth 1

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-bmouth/teams/429788

1-0

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Well, that was almost the perfect way to atone for a red card.

Live updates as Watford host Bournemouth at Vicarage Road

Watford pegged back by injury-time AFC Bournemouth equaliser

Vladimir Ivic calls for logic after Watford draw with Bournemouth

Watford players rated after Bournemouth draw

Watford’s Ken Sema wants to improve along with his teammates

Chris Mepham scored a stoppage-time equaliser at Watford to extend Bournemouth’s unbeaten start to the Championship season.

The Cherries – who were fortunate not to have Lloyd Kelly sent off early on – conceded the opener, when Croatian frontman Stipe Perica slid his first goal for the club since a summer move from Udinese (12).

The last home win in a game between the two sides came at Bournemouth in January 2015, abetted in part by an early (and later rescinded) red card for Gabriele Angella. There should have been an early red card here… with a crowd to bellow it’s objection, or had the challenge come ten minutes later then surely the Cherries would have been down to ten.

Watford v Boscombe. It’s a fixture that never seems to pass without incident, and the latest chapter in this unlikely rivalry was no different! Jon is joined by Mike and Colin who discuss an array of interesting referring decisions, a beautiful goal and a a heartbreaking equaliser, while The Athletic’s Watford corespondent Adam Leventhal hops on the line to share his views on Troy Deeney’s official foray into the world of broadcast and written media.

21st October 2020- Championship, Watford 3 Blackburn Rovers 1

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-blackburn/teams/429776

1-0

2-0

3-1

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Who said games involving Watford this season were boring?

Watford beat Blackburn Rovers at Vicarage Road

Watford beat Blackburn Rovers to climb into third place

Watford head coach Vladimir Ivic calls for improvements

Watford players rated after win over Blackburn Rovers

Vladimir Ivic tells Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro to put Watford first

Ben Foster wants Watford to kill teams off quicker

The Hornets took control with two goals in quick succession early in the first half from Joao Pedro and Tom Cleverley.

Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster had already made a number of fine saves by the time Ben Brereton pulled one back with a brilliant chest and volley from 25 yards out. The hosts were also fortunate not to have Christian Kabasele sent off after he hauled Adam Armstrong down when the Rovers striker had gone clean through.

Any concerns that the second half would calm down a bit were allayed within five minutes of the restart. An underhit Chalobah pass towards Sema was cut out, and Wilmot was caught slightly flat footed as Brereton escaped only to be pulled back by a welcome offside flag. That could have been a different second half. As it was, and with so much of our threat in the first half having come via the burning pace of Sarr and Femenía on the right, Blackburn telegraphed what was to come by giving Ken Sema all sorts of space to put a cross in on the left. He’s already demonstrated that he needs no space at all to cause damage from wide positions, so it was little surprise that a minute later his vicious cross was turned in by Lenihan.

Three goals and three points for the Hornets, but that doesn’t come close to summing up an enthralling encounter at Vicarage Road, as Watford beat Blackburn to go third.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/21-october-2020/

16th October 2020- Championship, Derby County 0 Watford 1

https://www.skysports.com/football/derby-vs-watford/teams/429758

1-0

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Well, that’s the goal of the month for October sewn up.

Joao Pedro stunner gives Watford win over Derby County

Joao Pedro scores stunning winner for Watford at Derby County

Vladimir Ivic thought Watford beat Derby County as a team

Tom Cleverley thinks Joao Pedro deserved Watford winner

Watford players rated after beating Derby County

Watford’s Brazilian teenager Joao Pedro scored a sensational winner as the Hornets earned a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Derby at Pride Park.

An error-strewn affair, without even a shot on target until the 74th minute, was eventually decided by a real moment of class from the 19-year-old, turning on the edge of the box before bending a brilliant right-footed effort into the top corner.

Wayne Rooney ‘seething’ after visit from friend who later tested positive for Covid. Derby County and Watford squads now likely to take tests

The announcement of the starting eleven was underwhelming. No Troy, no Hughes, we knew that, but no Sarr either. The club may have been aware that he wouldn’t realistically be back in time (despite Senegal’s Tuesday game with Mauritania having been scratched, so a little difficult to reconcile) but we didn’t. And no Capoue, despite the suggestion that his return was a possibility. The first eleven, certainly the attacking side of it, looked a bit botched together and the bench, flimsy. Vladimir Ivić had picked a side based on what he had available, but it was a side that looked even more focused on defensive solidity, asking an awful lot of two young attacking players in João Pedro and Domingos Quina.

League football is back and so is that winning feeling! With the International break over and the transfer window finally shut, the boys convene to discuss Watford’s victorious return to action at Pride Park.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/18-october-2020/

3rd October 2020- Championship, Reading 1 Watford 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/reading-vs-watford/teams/429748

Match-Report_-Reading-1-0-Watford-Watford-FC Download

The Hornets, who have been steadily getting better as the season has gradually unfolded, suffered a setback here after being on the receiving end this time of a single goal in a game.

Watford lose to Reading in the Championship

The Hornets fluffed a hatful of good opportunities to score, despite dominating large chunks of the match, and drew a blank, with Reading goalkeeper Rafael rarely threatened, while George Puscas’s scrappy goal at the end of the first-half was enough for the Royals to seal their fourth win out of four.

Vladimir Ivic claims bad decisions cost Watford at Reading

Watford players rated after Reading defeat

James Garner came closest for the Hornets, thundering a first-half free-kick against the crossbar.

In a more even second period, Watford threatened only sporadically and Reading held on for a relatively comfortable victory.

It was all going rather well. Too well. And then two things happened. Firstly the hosts switched formation to drop an extra body into their increasingly ragged midfield. Secondly, Tom Dele-Bashiru twisted his knee awkwardly in a fall.