Monthly Archives: September 2021

25th September 2021- Premier League, Watford 1 Newcastle United 1

WFC.Net Jon Mark’s Goal Commentary: 1

Watford

Newcastle United

BBC Sport: Sean Longstaff gave Newcastle the lead, but Ismaila Sarr levelled for the improved hosts after the break.

Sky Sports: Vicarage Road then erupted with one minute to go when King fired home from close range but referee Jarred Gillett – the first overseas official to referee a Premier League game – was instructed to disallow the goal by VAR for offside.

BHappy: If there’s anything more enjoyable than scratching and fighting and shithousing your way to an away win it’s depriving an opponent of doing so.  The few seconds between Joshua King tucking away the loose ball after João Pedro’s tidy lay-off had set up Sissoko to drive at Darlow were a wonderful thing but  it wasn’t to be.  Referee Gillett rubbed salt into the wound unnecessarily by getting his handpointing all wrong and invoking a second abortive goal celebration, but VAR confirmed that Newcastle’s offside trap was in better working order than ours had been and King had stepped beyond it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58606474

21st September 2021- League Cup Third Round, Watford 1 Stoke City 3

WFC.Net Jon Mark’s goal commentary: 1

Attendance: 8,421

BBC Sport: Late goals from Sam Clucas and Josh Tymon gave Championship side Stoke City a surprise win over a wasteful Watford in the Carabao Cup third round.

Sky Sports: Watford head coach Xisco Munoz changed his entire starting XI from the weekend win at Norwich but the majority of his fringe players failed to impress, while Stoke – showing eight alterations of their own – recovered from their loss at beleaguered Derby last time out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%9322_EFL_Cup

18th September 2021- Premier League, Norwich City 1 Watford 3

WFC.Net Jon Mark’s Goal Commentary: 1 2 3

Attendance: 26,649

BBC Sport: Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Watford beat Norwich in the battle of the two promoted sides and Premier League relegation rivals – to leave Norwich bottom on no points.

Sky Sports: Teemu Pukki cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis’ opener in the first half, but Ismaila Sarr sealed Watford’s second Premier League win of the season with a close-range finish shortly after the hour mark and another in the 82nd minute.

BHappy: Our recent performances have been characterised by an ability to hold opponents off whilst ceding possession, undermined by an inability to capitalise when we break.  Today, subtle changes in team selection and attitude facilitate almost a complete inverse.  That “tight and nervy” prediction is blown out of the water immediately as both sides start positively and aggressively.  Off the pitch, in the circumstances we may benefit from being the away side;  a travelling support in general, let alone on a sunny afternoon in late summer, generally boasts less angst and more bloody-mindedness than a home support, all other things being equal.  This is only fuelled by an early assault on the City goal, adjacent to the away block in the first half, which culminates in Kucka hurling himself like a human missile at a right wing cross.  His opponent holds him off on this occasion, which takes some doing, but this is fuel to the boisterous fire kindling in the away end.  The flipside of this is that having looked generally difficult to manoeuvre through up until now we’re ceding chances a little too easily in what little foothold we afford the home side.  This will not be dull.

From the Rookery End: Join Mike and DCW as they share their thoughts and experiences throughout the day, hearing from fellow supporters as the travelling Hornets hordes enjoyed a day in the Norfolk sun.

11th September 2021- Premier League, Watford 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2

Attendance: 20,019

BBC Sport: Bruno Lage’s side had lost their opening three games 1-0 and after 69 shots without scoring, it took Francisco Sierralta heading into his own net from Marcal’s cross to give Wolves the advantage.

Sky Sports: With seven minutes to go they turned that into a second goal. Semedo’s low ball across the six-yard box simply needed tapping home at the back post, where Marcal somehow turned it onto the woodwork and away, before Hwang found some greater accuracy to beat William Troost-Ekong’s despairing challenge from close range.

BHappy: The head coach, at least, has built a rapid connection with supporters – a ready smile and a promotion don’t hurt of course – but his request for a barrage of noise to fuel an early assault on the visitors never looks remotely like coming to pass as Wolves dominate possession for the opening ten or fifteen minutes.  Jeremy Ngakia is one of two new faces in the starting eleven…  I’ve never quite decided in my head whether he’s destined for great things or somewhat less great things, and the same conflicting evidence is on show here.  In the opening minutes Traoré, ostensibly the greatest threat (Jiménez, a shadow of his former self, is regaining fitness and confidence), twice loses Ngakia on the Wolves left before slipping a simple pass to a team-mate presumably deemed to boast more reliable end product.  It’s all very sensible but rather underwhelming, like hiring a michelin-starred chef to pour you some corn flakes.

From the Rookery End: Watford’s 2-0 home loss against Wolves was a game with a negative result but, by talking it through, Jon, Mike, Jason and Colin, try to see the nuggets the season can be built upon.