Monthly Archives: October 2022

29th October 2022-Championship, Wigan Athletic 0 Watford 1

WFC.Net Jon Mark’s Goal Commentary: 1

Attendance: 10.642

BBC Sport: Joao Pedro headed in a late winner as Watford consigned Wigan to a fourth-straight defeat. The forward rose highest to meet Yaser Asprilla’s cross to plant a fine header past Latics goalkeeper Jamie Jones.

Sky Sports: Pedro’s effort earned Slaven Bilic’s side a third win in four games that leaves them two points off the play-off places.

Fran’s Watford Blog:  Just as we were settling for a point, a corner from Asprilla came back to him and he put in a lovely cross that João Pedro headed home to send the travelling Hornets wild.  There had been very few goal chances, but the Hornets thoroughly deserved the lead.

BHappy: There’s a lot to be said for an away venue that’s close to a motorway, even if that motorway has to be the M6.  The abundance of accessible car parks, including the one that we tumble out of and into the away turnstiles, is also handy and the steep, claustrophobic design means that this remains one of the better “new” grounds at which to watch football.  We’re two thirds of the back, but directly over the goalmouth – at West Ham you’d be in a different postcode.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63354627

23rd October 2022-Championship, Watford 4 Luton Town 0

WFC.Net Goal Commentary: 1  2  3  4

Attendance:
19,282

BBC Sport: Watford put their recent poor run behind them as they hammered illness-hit local rivals Luton Town at Vicarage Road.

Sky Sports: First-half goals from Keinan Davis and William Troost-Ekong set the tone and the visitors’ doom was sealed when goalkeeper Ethan Horvath gifted Joao Pedro a third before Ismaila Sarr completed the rout. Hatters substitute Gabriel Osho then saw red late on for a dreadful challenge on Ken Sema.

BHappy: I remember this being described somewhere, many years ago, as “the sort of derby that the locals get very agitated by but nobody else gives much of a toss about”.  Harsh but fair.  Thing is…  it’s been sixteen and a half years since supporters were able to watch this fixture in the ground, and the previous a further eight years before that.  Many of the people in Vicarage Road today won’t have seen a derby game in person before;  fewer still were here the last time we won this one in front of fans with John Barnes and Worrell Sterling doing the damage in April 1987 (I kept a diary in 1987, the entry features the word “murdered”).

Fran’s Watford Blog: The players went on an extended lap of the ground and were cheered and applauded all the way around.  I am usually pulling my replica shirt off at this point, but wanted to display my colours as I showed my appreciation.  Troost-Ekong appeared to be particularly delighted and Kamara was eliciting cheers from the Rookery.  Oh it was wonderful.  As Tim Coombs said, “It is like 1997 all over again.”

Official Site: Match Report

Hornets Share Their Thoughts After Luton Win

Gallery: Hornets Hit Four To Sink The Hatters

Reaction To Hatters Hammering

Bilić: ‘It Was A Brilliant Occasion’

Davis: “It’s an amazing day to have been involved in”

Troost-Ekong: “It’s Everything We Wanted From The Game”

Sarr: “We Knew How Important It Was”

Joint Statement – Watford v Luton Town: Watford FC & Hertfordshire Constabulary (Oct 23)

Watford Observer: OPINION Let’s win the derby with style, on and off the pitch

RECAP: Relive the joy of Watford 4 Luton 0

Superb Hornets thrash Hatters to make derby history

Fans and police involved in clash as Watford smash four past Luton

‘It’ll be a totally different game when they come to Kenilworth Road’ – Jones

Derby delight: 15 pictures from a Hornets day to remember

Match report from eight-year-old sums up derby day for Watford fans

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63274085

19th October 2022- Championship, Millwall 3 Watford 0

Attendance: 12,787

BBC Sport: Tom Bradshaw’s first-half hat-trick helped Millwall inflict a third defeat on Watford in their past four games under Slaven Bilic.

https://www.skysports.com/football/millwall-vs-watford/teams/468013

Sky Sports: It took just eight minutes for Bradshaw to open his account for the evening, as he latched onto a long goal-kick that was not dealt with by centre-back Mattie Pollock on his first Championship start for the visitors, before deftly lofting the ball over Daniel Bachmann.

BHappy: We start OK.  Yes, really.  Bright, positive.  Briefly we wonder whether, having once again demonstrated our ability to beat teams that give us space to play we’ll finally overcome a more obstructive opponent.  Ho hum.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63224177

15th October 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Norwich City 1

WFC.net goal commentary: 1  2

Attendance: 19,400

BBC Sport: Imran Louza and Keinan Davis scored for Watford as the Hornets bounced back from two straight defeats to beat Norwich City and move back within two points of the Championship play-off places.

Sky Sports: Josh Sargent then pulled one back for Norwich, but they could not get level as they missed the chance to go top of the table. They drop to third after Burnley won earlier in the day to move above them and Sheffield United to the summit.

BHappy: There are (to varying degrees) nascent partnerships all over the pitch.  Gosling and Sema, our unlikely right flank.  Louza and Asprilla.  Sarr and Kamara, who spends the evening bounding forward like an excited puppy in a manner that Isma might find familiar.  Their first link up sees Kamara dink a pass over two opponents to where Sarr has skipped unnoticed;  young midfield Liam Gibbs is panicked into grabbing an arm and Sarr’s momentum does the rest. Good to see goal machine Louza, having so gloriously if inconsequentially broken his duck at Bloomfield Road, grabbing the ball in JP’s absence.  Not so good to see Gunn save well as the Moroccan international struck the spot kick firmly yet eminently saveably to the keeper’s left but hugely heartening that we didn’t miss a beat – to the extent that City fans’ celebrations at their let-off were quickly dampened by the aggression with which we chased down and regained possession after the spot kick, albeit to no immediate benefit.

8th October 2022- Championship, Blackpool 3 Watford 1

WFC.NET goal commentary: 1

Attendance: 11,567

BBC Sport: Blackpool ended a four-match winless run as Jerry Yates’ late double sunk Slaven Bilic’s Watford at Bloomfield Road.

Sky Sports: The Hornets were booed off by the travelling fans as new boss Slaven Bilic watched over a second straight defeat, leaving them 12th on 17 points while Blackpool climbed to 19th with 15 points.

Fran’s Watford blog: There was much anger among those gathered at the perimeter fence.  Troost-Ekong came over to give his shirt to a fan, which was a very brave act as he was subjected to considerable abuse.  Front and centre was the lad who had broken the seats who had several stewards around him and was lucky not to be taken away.  The other players kept their distance and quickly disappeared down the tunnel.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63099156

5th October 2022- Championship, Watford 1 Swansea City 2

WFC.Net Goal Commentary:   1

Attendance: 17,231

BBC Sport: Ben Cabango’s header in time added on saw Slaven Bilic suffer a defeat in his first home game as Watford boss. Watford led at the interval thanks to Ismaila Sarr’s 34th-minute opener as he finished from close range. The visitors equalised on 52 minutes when Olivier Ntcham’s deflected effort from 20 yards gave Swansea parity.

Sky Sports: The defender headed home Ryan Manning’s free-kick eight minutes into a total of 20 added on after the officials’ communication equipment failed, leading to the players having to leave the pitch.

Official Site: The Vicarage Road faithful were dismayed when match official Tim Robinson refused to award a spot-kick for what the Hornets’ players believed to be a handball with the clock deep into the red, and the final whistle soon sounded to condemn Watford to their third defeat of the campaign.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63056517

2nd October 2022- Championship, Stoke City 0 Watford 4

WFC.NET Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1 2 3 4

BBC Sport: New Watford manager Slaven Bilic got off to a sensational winning start as his rampant Hornets side scored four goals at Stoke.

Sky Sports: Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Ken Sema, Keinan Davis and Vakoun Issouf Bayo secured Bilic an impressive win at the bet365 Stadium with the club’s biggest victory since hammering Bristol City 6-0 in February 2021.