Category Archives: April

30th April 2022- Premier League, Watford 1 Burnley 2

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1

Attendance: 20,738

BBC Sport: Burnley scored twice in the final seven minutes to complete a dramatic comeback that pulled them five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone and left hosts Watford on the brink of the drop.

Sky Sports: Norwich, who lost 2-0 at Aston Villa, were relegated as a result of the Clarets’ late turnaround as Watford became the first side in top-flight history to lose 11 consecutive home league games and are now 12 points adrift of safety with four matches to play.

The Guardian: Ray Lewington, Watford’s assistant manager, said: “There’s a massive fear factor here, which we’ve found since we came in, particularly at home, and that comes from losing matches. We really wanted to do something to help the club out of the bottom three but it’s not happened.”

BHappy: The foot has been on the gas since the start but on seven minutes Kiko sends in a deep cross, Samir can’t quite get his head on it but Kucka is lurking at the far post. What transpires is only clear from the replay – the Slovak takes a touch and then clubs the ball against the bar; it deserves a goal and gets it with a helpful rebound off Tarkowski. Conveniently a minute’s recognition in memory of young Jasper Cook follows within 30 seconds – rarely has such a tribute been echoed so forcefully.

Fran’s Watford Blog: Then, on 83 minutes, the visitors drew level when a cross from Taylor was met by a diving header from Cork that beat Foster. They scored a second a couple of minutes later as a free kick fell to Brownhill who beat Foster from the edge of the box.

23rd April 2022- Premier League, Manchester City 5 Watford 1

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1

Attendance: 53,013

BBC Sport: Watford tried their best, but they were outclassed by a rampant City team and remain anchored in the bottom three, seven points adrift of safety.

Sky Sports: It looked like the hosts would run away with the first half once again when Jesus scored his first goal inside four minutes. City scored five goals in the first 18 minutes when Watford last visited the Etihad in September 2019.

The Guardian: City could have been rampant from this juncture but fell asleep. Hassane Kamara initiated a move he would finish, taking a ball from Dennis that punched a hole in the home defence after Rúben Dias was dragged out wide on the left. When Kamara struck, Guardiola did the same to the turf in the technical area, hitting the grass with a fist.

BHappy: Briefly, the mood changes. The course of the afternoon no longer seems mapped out… this is a competitive encounter all of a sudden. Only for six minutes as it turns out, but it’s a decent six minutes – we’ve taken some blows but thrown some punches ourselves, not rolled over, and one has landed. If you’re looking for evidence of life, here it is right here.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The travelling Hornets then regaled the home fans with a chorus of “You’re not singing anymore.” Normal activity resumed soon after as a corner came out to Jesus on the edge of the area, but he shot over the bar. City restored their two-goal advantage after 34 minutes when Jesus found Rodri just outside the box from where he powered a shot past Foster.

16th April 2022- Premier League, Watford 1 Brentford 2

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1

Attendance: 20,747

BBC Sport: Pontus Jansson’s last-minute header broke Watford hearts and gave Brentford a third successive Premier League win for the first time.

Sky Sports: Emmanuel Dennis had brought Watford level 10 minutes into the second half following Christian Norgaard’s 15th-minute opener. The home side then nearly won it in the 92nd minute as Imran Louza put the rebound over, following Josh King’s shot that had hit the post.

The Guardian: Not since Birmingham’s class of 1986 has a team in England’s top four divisions suffered 10 successive league defeats at home and Watford now trail Everton by six points, having played two games more. “It’s very hard to take,” said Roy Hodgson, who has yet to pick up a point in five matches at Vicarage Road. “We have to keep believing but who knows what can happen?”

BHappy: Since we beat Manchester United we’ve had all manner of what mere mortals might simply call a “home defeat”. The hard-fought and unfortunate (Chelsea), the gutsy and worthy in which less than a thrashing feels like an accomplishment (City), the cruel suggestion of success disintegrating into humiliation (West Ham) all the way to the haplessly incompetent, banging our heads against the flimsiest of brick walls before falling over exhausted and letting inept opponents march all over us (Norwich, Leeds). We’ll have names for all of these one day, or just grimaces that every Hornet will understand and anyone else will regard as simply what Watford supporters look like.

Fran’s Watford Blog: I arrived at the ground just in time to see Heurelho Gomes being interviewed. It was his first chance to return to the club and say goodbye to the fans after leaving the club during lockdown. His comments were as warm and lovely as you would expect, and it was great to remember happier times on the pitch.

9th April 2022- Premier League, Watford 0 Leeds United 3

Attendance: 20,957

BBC Sport: Raphinha’s fierce left-footed strike from the edge of the area gave the visitors the lead after the Hornets had twice gone close through Imran Louza and Cucho Hernandez.

Sky Sports: Rodrigo capitalised on a calamitous mix-up involving Watford defenders Hassane Kamara and Samir to double Leeds’ advantage 17 minutes from time, before Jack Harrison put the win beyond doubt with a rasping drive into the far corner (85).

The Guardian: Roy Hodgson has never been relegated as a Premier League manager but his unblemished record is in grave danger with Watford facing demotion to the Championship after their ninth successive home defeat. Hodgson always knew the odds were stacked against him after returning to the dugout to replace Claudio Ranieri in January but this heavy loss leaves them needing a miracle.

BHappy: This is supposed to be fun, right? I’m only asking because, you know, it’s been a while since this was fun hasn’t it? At least at home?

2nd April 2022- Premier League, Liverpool 2 Watford 0

Attendance: 53,104

BBC Sport: Joao Pedro wasted a glorious chance to equalise in the second half as Watford remain third from bottom, three points from safety.

Sky Sports: Jota scored his seventh header for Liverpool, more than any other player has scored in the league since his Reds debut, with Joe Gomez to thank for a perfectly measured cross from the right which the Portuguese glanced past Ben Foster. Fabinho made no mistake from the penalty spot late on to ensure Liverpool, who were 14 points adrift in January, temporarily moved two points ahead of Manchester City before Pep Guardiola’s side won at Burnley.

The Guardian: The early kick-off could not dampen the heightened expectation inside Anfield as Liverpool looked to increase the pressure on City. But Watford would make life difficult. Their three clean sheets in the league this season have all come on Roy Hodgson’s watch and with his trusted assistant Ray Lewington alongside him the former Liverpool manager oversaw a typically well-drilled defensive display. The visitors possessed a clear threat, too, on the break and from set-pieces and performed with a composure that belied their lowly league position of 18th.

BHappy: Team selection is influenced, almost certainly, by the physical consequences of a heavy programme of international duty including plenty of key World Cup qualifiers and far too much extra time for anyone’s liking. Emmanuel Dennis and Joshua King are on the bench, for instance, whilst Peter Etebo and William Troost-Ekong don’t even make it that far. That aside there remains evidence of Roy having established a set of key personnel; pejoratively you might call them “favourites”, Cucho, Kabasele, and even Kucka and João Pedro are more prominent – game triers all – whilst Shaq Forde has been singled out amongst the youngsters. I’ve not seen enough of Shaq to comment but whether his judgement proves sound on not it’s a Good Thing that Roy’s perspective is broad enough to make one despite his presumed summer departure.

24th April 2021- Championship, Watford 1 Millwall 0

The game where we clinched promotion back to the Premier League after just one season away.

BBC Sport: Ismaila Sarr’s composed 11th-minute penalty, after the Senegal winger was brought down in the box by Billy Mitchell, proved enough for the Hornets.

Sky Sports: Brentford’s win at Bournemouth earlier in the day meant that only three points would be good enough for Xisco Munoz’s Hornets to be promoted alongside Norwich, who came down with them last season.

BHappy: I sink into the sofa, close my eyes for a moment, smile…and wonder what to do. On the pitch, there are hugs, grins, a few tears being wiped away. A party getting started. In the stands, there are empty seats. At home, there’s dinner to be cooked, washing up to be done, life to get on with. It’s an odd way to end an odd season, and it feels as if the meaning of it all will filter through over time, a slow dawning.

From the Rookery End: You may have heard; the ‘Orns are going up! After Watford secured promotion with a hard-earned win against Millwall, Jon, Jason and Mike took a deep breath and try to do a monumental achievement justice.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56781828

20th April 2021- Championship, Norwich City 0 Watford 1

BBC Sport: Watford moved a step closer to an immediate return to the Premier League with victory at already promoted Norwich City.

Sky Sports: An attack down the right saw the ball reach Joao Pedro just inside the box and the striker did well to pick out an unmarked Gosling, who had no trouble side-footing home at the back post.

BHappy: We deserve promotion this season. We haven’t gotten away with anything, if and when it’s confirmed we’ll have earned it (hellooooo again Spurs). At the start of the season we were solid… less than the sum of our parts, perhaps, frustrating at times but often effective despite that, and effective enough to hang around at the top of the table. To be in position to capitalise if and when we found some form. When we did find that form we looked occasionally flamboyant, often cruelly, mercilessly irresistible – twenty clean sheets before today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56727798

17th April 2021- Championship, Luton Town 1 Watford 0

BBC Sport: James Collins came off the bench to score a penalty with his first touch as mid-table Luton Town earned a deserved derby victory over promotion-chasing Watford.

Sky Sports: Hughes sliced wide for the Hornets, who were then reduced to 10 men with two minutes remaining, full-back Kiko Femenia sent off for his second booking after pushing Kazenga LuaLua over as he chased a ball forward.

BHappy: The other thing about derby games is that they matter so much more when your team is terrible. In the past Watford and Luton’s fortunes often rose and fell together and at times it very much felt as if all there was to play for was avoiding relegation and this. This Luton incarnation isn’t terrible – they’re in pretty much exactly the League position you’d have predicted based on their solid but limited showing at the Vic at the start of the season. Nonetheless, the Hornets have rather more to play for as it stands; Luton’s survival was confirmed mathematically by this win, but effectively a done deal some time ago. Knocking us off our perch a very much more tantalising objective for them than not being knocked off would be for us.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56698955

9th April 2021- Championship, Watford 2 Reading 0

BBC Sport: Two goals from Ismaila Sarr saw second-placed Watford take another step towards promotion back to the Premier League with a win over Reading at Vicarage Road.

Sky Sports: Watford took the lead when Kiko Femenia, Nathaniel Chalobah and Sarr linked up brilliantly, with the latter cutting the ball from his right onto his left and then curling a powerful effort and, less than two minutes later, they had a second.

BHappy: For the second, within two minutes, Chalobah robs Gibson, perhaps yet to get his head back into the game, and Philip Zinckernagel plays the pass. In both cases, they’re situations we weren’t even interested in, let alone involved in, under previous managers; we were too busy getting our shape, tucking in, locking up. They come with risk, as we’ll see, but so much reward.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56611869

5th April 2021- Championship, Middlesbrough 1 Watford 1

BBC Sport: Yannick Bolasie’s late equaliser gave Middlesbrough’s fading Championship play-off hopes a boost as Neil Warnock’s side held in-form Watford at the Riverside.

Sky Sports: Watford edged ahead in dramatic circumstances. Boro goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli first produced an impressive save to deny Ken Sema, but Marc Bola’s clearance fell kindly for Zinckernagel, who took control, though there were suspicions of handball as he did so.

BHappy: Xisco has spoken guardedly about securing a play-off place before we worry about anything else. William Troost-Ekong’s stock rose still further with his weekend Extra Time interview over the weekend. Troy Deeney has made the journey to Middlesbrough to sit in an empty stadium in the cold (and, you know, in Middlesbrough) to “ensure that standards don’t drop”. As the teams come out and Francisco Sierralta’s approach to the freezing sunshine that is cold enough to put condensation on your breath whilst watching in the warmth of your own home is to douse himself in water; you kind of feel that there’s not much wrong in terms of attitude.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56560222