Monthly Archives: August 2022

30th August 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Middlesbrough 1

This game was the 100th anniversary of the first ever game played at Vicarage Road.

https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/watford-mens-team-middlesbrough-first-team-2022-08-30/statistics

BBC Sport: Vakoun Bayo scored a stoppage-time winner for Watford as they beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on a historic night at Vicarage Road.

Sky Sports: Watford wore black and white striped shirts – a replica of the kit they wore in 1922 – for this one after the centenary had been marked by a pyrotechnics display, Elton John music and chats with former Hornets favourites.

BHappy: The thing is, it isn’t like anywhere else.  Other places…  homes, schools, where you work… might have similar long standing but nowhere has this permanence in significance and role.  None of it looks like it did when I first came in 1980, not even the now-more-green-than-brown stuff in the middle.  There are no longer busses visible trundling along the top of the northern end of the ground.  There’s no longer a hotchpotch of bits of stand and terracing down the east side, nor is there any longer a place where you can swap panini stickers (is there?). The Shrodells Stand has long gone, as has the Watford Observer Clock (though – spoiler alert – only as far as the Museum’s excellent commemorative exhibition).

Fran’s Watford Blog: We had been told to be in our seats at 7:45, so duly obliged and were treated to hearing Lloydy and Mapps talk about their happy memories of Vicarage Road.  Nigel Gibbs, who was working with the Tottenham U-21s had recorded a message for the big screen.  I had joined a twitter space on Sunday where Gibbsy was a guest.  Hearing him talk about Watford as both a player and a fan was so heart-warming.  There was a wonderful video shown while “I’m Still Standing” played to accompany pyrotechnics around the ground.  Then the team came out to Z-cars, which was followed by Chariots of Fire ringing out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62641671

27th August 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Queens Park Rangers 3

https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/watford-mens-team-queens-park-rangers-first-team-2022-08-27/statistics

Attendance: 19,977

BBC Sport: Substitute Albert Adomah scored the winner for Queens Park Rangers to end Watford’s unbeaten start in the Championship.

Sky Sports: Ilias Chair and Chris Willock were also on target for Michael Beale’s side, who won for the first time away from Loftus Road under their new head coach. Ken Sema and Joao Pedro had equalised for Watford, who saw a late goal ruled out for a questionable offside.

BHappy: Losing’s fine of course… well, not fine but certainly part of the tapestry, and a part that we’ve been all too familiar with over the past couple of years that we’ve been able to “enjoy” at Vicarage Road. This is different though, a different flavour of defeat to last season’s regular diet of inadequacy and helplessness.  This is stomp around scowling and looking for someone to argue with, nobody talk to me for a month frustration.  This is outrage at the unjustness and the AAAAARRRRGHHHH of it all.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62614069

23rd August 2022- League Cup Second Round, Watford 0 Milton Keynes Dons 2

MK Dons

BBC Sport: League One MK Dons pulled off a Carabao Cup shock with a 2-0 victory over Championship Watford at Vicarage Road. Goals either side of half-time from Matthew Dennis and Darragh Burns were enough to book their third round place for the first time in three seasons.

20th August 2022- Championship, Preston North End 0 Watford 0

https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/preston-north-end-first-team-watford-mens-team-2022-08-20/statistics

Attendance:15,317

BBC Sport: Preston North End played out a fourth goalless draw in five Championship games against a Watford side who also continued their unbeaten start to the season.

Sky Sports: The home side had the better of the first half, with Alan Browne and Ryan Ledson forcing saves from Daniel Bachmann. Vakoun Bayo and Rey Manaj squandered huge chances for the Hertfordshire side either side of the break.

BHappy: The team selection betrays a dilemma that would have been difficult to anticipate at the start of last season when, after promotion on the back of a solid defensive record we attempted to re-arm the attack.  Things didn’t go well for Ashley Fletcher, whose recruitment was surely with half an eye on the possibility that we wouldn’t get promoted in 2021, but if he’s the sixth cab off the rank for a newly promoted side (and without the benefit of “less than the sum of our parts” hindsight) you’re surely doing OK. But all six are unavailable for today’s game.

Fran’s Watford Blog: This game remained goalless through a combination of another sterling performance from Dan Bachmann and wasteful finishing from Manaj and Bayo.  While they were both disappointing in front of goal, at least they were getting into position to cause problems.  Asprilla was brilliant again both in attack and getting back to defend.  He is going to be some player.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62529130

16th August 2022- Championship, Birmingham City 1 Watford 1

https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/birmingham-city-first-team-watford-mens-team-2022-08-16/statistics

Attendance 16,811

BBC Sport: Watford preserved their unbeaten start in the Championship with a hard-fought draw against Birmingham at St Andrew’s.

Sky Sports: The Hornets, who were missing the injured Ismaila Sarr, failed to make the most of their chances and fell behind to George Hall’s first senior goal. Ken Sema finally found a way through with a second-half equaliser but the visitors missed the chance to go top of the Championship table.

BHappy: The game ends.  Troy treads a fine line in walking halfway to the away end and applauding, acknowledging the Watford acclaim without going full Roy Hodgson.   Rob Edwards meanwhile leads his team to the front of the stand, where Kenzema makes sure that his shirt goes to the couple brandishing a Sweden flag in the second row. Edwards’ take is about right.  Any away point is a good one, particularly when coming from behind but… coulda.  Maybe shoulda.  Definitely coulda.  It will come, pieces are still shifting in and out. It will come.

Fran’s Watford Blog: There are a number of new faces in the squad, so this is still a team in transition, but the hard work and the organisation are impressing.  The main frustration was that we did not test Ruddy enough, but that wasn’t for want of trying.  Despite an identical result, this was a much better performance than at the Hawthorns last week and the travelling Hornets left St Andrews with smiles on their faces

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62473320

12th August 2022- Championship, Watford 1 Burnley 0

https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/watford-mens-team-burnley-first-team-2022-08-12

Attendance: 19,225

BBC: Tom Cleverley’s winner helped 10-man Watford extend their good start to the Championship season and end Burnley’s unbeaten start under Vincent Kompany.

The Guardian: Hassane Kamara was shown a straight red card for a professional foul nine minutes from time but the Clarets could not get the better of the home goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann and succumbed to their first defeat under Vincent Kompany.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It wasn’t a classic performance, but it was head and shoulders above what we saw at the Hawthorns on Monday.  The Hornets had the better of the first half and, while it was mostly one way traffic in the second, there were still some impressive signs from the home side.  Dan Bachmann was, again, my man of the match and I was delighted that he made the Burnley fans eat their words.  The defence was very well organised and there was a much better showing from the midfield.  I was very impressed with our new boy, Choudhury, who appears to be an excellent addition.  We didn’t get to see a lot from Bayo or Asprilla, but their time will come.