Category Archives: July

16th July 2022- Friendly, Watford 4 Wycombe Wanderers 1 (at London Colney training ground)

Played behind closed doors.

Official site: Watford put four past Wycombe Wanderers underneath the sunshine at London Colney, as Ismaïla Sarr notched two and Emmanuel Dennis and Yáser Asprilla got on the scoresheet.

Watford full-back Hassane Kamara was pleased with the 4-1 pre-season victory over Wycombe Wanderers, in which he featured from the right-hand side after coming on for Kiko Femenía.

Wycombe Wanderers Official site: Picture gallery

Watford Observer: Having not scored in the previous two friendlies, Watford needed just a couple of minutes to get on the board this time. Pedro sent a raking ball out to the right and Sarr accelerated away before hitting an early cross.

12th July 2022- Friendly, Watford 0 Bolton Wanderers 2 (at London Colney training Ground)

Played behind closed doors

Official site: Watford showed promise and attacking threat throughout their pre-season friendly with Bolton Wanderers, but were unable to find the target in a 2-0 defeat at London Colney.

Watford goalkeeper Maduka Okoye can see plenty of progress in the squad and is positive about pre-season, but he admitted his side should have been better during the early stages of their 2-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers at London Colney.

Watford Observer: The Hornets shot themselves in the foot in this game, barely being threatened in the first quarter of an hour but then gifting the visitors a goal in the 16th minute. Dan Bachmann took a heavy touch as he controlled a firmly-hit back-pass, the ball landed between him and Christian Kabasele which allowed Keiran Lee to nip into and stroke it into the bottom corner.

One interesting feature of the friendly with Bolton was Watford starting the second half with Hassane Kamara as a right wing-back.

10th July 2022- Friendly, Panathinaikos 0 Watford 0 (played at FC Kossen, Austria)

Match highlights from the Panathinaikos website

Attendance unknown

Official site: In the second pre-season match of the new campaign, a busy first-half saw Vakoun Bayo and João Pedro go closest for the Hornets, with a flurry of changes following at the interval as Rob Edwards rotated his squad during the friendly.

“I’m really pleased,” said the Head Coach. “The most pleasing thing was the commitment and the effort. There was a real togetherness.

2nd July 2022- Friendly, Watford 1 Cambridge United 3 (at London Colney training ground)

Played behind closed doors

Official site: James Morris found the target, but two quick-fire goals just after half-time were the difference in Watford’s first pre-season friendly of the summer against Cambridge United, with the match ending 3-1 to the visitors.

Watford Observer: New head coach Rob Edwards started the game with new signing Vakoun Bayo – the striker’s £5m move from Charleroi was confirmed earlier today.

27th July 2021- Friendly, Stevenage 1 Watford 1

Official site: It was a disastrous start for the visitors as Jamie Reid gave the hosts an early lead. The Stevenage striker intercepted a misplaced Craig Cathcart pass in the final third and slotted into an empty net after two minutes.

Stevenage official site: Finding an equaliser in the 37th minute, the Hornets drew proceedings level as the first half drew to a close. Back on the score sheet after the Euros, Ken Sema headed past Anang from Ashley Fletcher’s cross.

24th July 2021- Friendly, Watford 0 West Bromwich Albion 0

With Covid restrictions now eased supporters were allowed to attend a match at Vicarage Road for the first time since December.

Official Site: Xisco Muñoz’s long-awaited introduction to the Watford faithful and the return of supporters into Vicarage Road didn’t coincide with an absolute classic on the pitch, but the occasion itself was more than worth it for both sets of fans who made the trip.

Attendance: 3,612

16th February 2021- Championship, Preston North End 0 Watford 1

BBC Sport: Brazilian forward Joao Pedro netted the only goal from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half after he was tripped by Tom Barkhuizen.

Sky Sports: Watford started well and chances fell to Pedro and Ismaila Sarr but both managed to miss the target.

BHappy: Preston.  Where we never win.  In the cold, in the wet.  You can bet your life that if there had been fans there, more specifically if I’d gone up to Deepdale we wouldn’t have bloody won.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55990621

22nd September 2020- League Cup Third Round, Newport County 3 Watford 1

2-1

Post Match

The Hornets bowed out of the Carabao Cup tonight and they can have few complaints. They were beaten fair and square by a hungrier, sharper and busier Newport County side who claimed their second Championship scalp of the competition.

Watford beaten by Newport County in Carabao Cup

Adalberto Penaranda’s penalty halved a 2-0 advantage that the Exiles had built up in the first-half through goals from Tristan Abrahams and Joss Labadie, but Podraig Amond’s strike ten minutes later put the game beyond the Hornets’ reach.

Vladimir Ivic wants Watford to focus on the Championship

Watford players rated after Carabao Cup loss to Newport County

Vladimir Ivic rested Watford players for Luton Town match

Craig Dawson felt Watford deserved defeat at Newport

Watford’s new Serbian boss Vladimir Ivic sent out a team showing 10 changes from the one that drew 0-0 with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship last weekend.

Watford substitute Stipe Perica was sent off late on for elbowing Cooper.

So the most pleasing thing about this evening is the shade of amber of Newport’s shirts. It’s…. not quite as orange as Wolves, not quite as yellow as Bradford. It’s what Newport’s shirts should be.  I guess Shoot League Ladders have a lot to answer for, since we’ve not played Newport since 1978, so I’ve nothing really to base this instinct on.

Watford’s League Cup adventure may be over, but From the Rookery End goes on! Jon, Mike and Colin convened shortly after the final whistle at Rodney Parade to look back at a disappointing evening in Wales, and looking forward to what promises to be an altogether different experience when some old friends ride into town on Saturday.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_EFL_Cup

26th July 2020- Premier League, Arsenal 3 Watford 2

OS Watford FCMatch Preview

Watford ObserverWatford fans still have ‘hope’ to survive in Premier League

Graham Stack wants Watford fans to feel proud of Arsenal performance

Etienne Capoue could be back from injury for Watford’s trip to Arsenal

John Barnes feels stars need to align for Watford to beat Arsenal tomorrow

What needs to happen for Watford to avoid relegation

Kiko Femenia wants Watford to be confident and to hurt Arsenal

Hayden Mullins thanks Watford fans for ‘much appreciated’ support

BBC SportPremier League final day: Champions League and relegation battles set to dominate

skyWho is staying up in the Premier League: Aston Villa, Watford or Bournemouth?

What is left to play for on the final day of the Premier League season?

guardianWatford can evoke spirit of Tevez to beat drop, says Hayden Mullins

Paying attendance:0
Referee: Mike Dean
First half
Second half
Deeney 43 (pen), 1-3
Welbeck 66, 2-3

OS Watford FC Post Match

Just like they had done with a 11-game winless start to the season, the Hornets left it all too late. They waited too long to produce their best performance since the restart and they were relegated by a point. One measly point. How terrifyingly small the margins can be at this punishing level.

To Watford Fans: From Gino Pozzo & Scott Duxbury

Watford relegated from Premier League with defeat at Arsenal

Defeat at Arsenal sends Watford out of the Premier League

Watford are relegated to Championship – what went wrong

The games that defined relegated Watford’s season

Troy Deeney: Watford skipper unsure about future

Watford captain Troy Deeney calls reporter ‘cheeky b******’

Hayden Mullins claims Watford just did not do enough after relegation

Watford players rated after they are relegated at Arsenal

Watford have a list of issues to address after relegation

Watford have the chance to rebuild and change their culture

Heurelho Gomes thinks Watford supporters deserved better

Managerless Watford were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inspired Arsenal to victory. The Hornets, who dropped into the bottom three for the first time since 28 February in midweek, started the day level on points with 17th spot knowing a positive result could keep them up.

Hayden Mullins’ side looked dead and buried at 3-0 down but they deservedly pulled a goal back courtesy of Troy Deeney’s penalty shortly before the break, then reduced the deficit to one goal when former Arsenal man Danny Welbeck slotted home from Ismaila Sarr’s cross (66).

Minute by minute

Some of Watford’s players sank to their knees; others made for the tunnel without a moment’s delay. The whistle had just blown on their five years in the Premier League and nobody could say that, when the occasion demanded them to hurl the kitchen sink at Arsenal, they went down without a fight. This was a performance full of the crispness, urgency and aggression that have hallmarked their best work over the last half-decade but it came too late, as did the fightback that almost completely overhauled a three-goal deficit on the day. Had Emiliano Martínez not brilliantly saved Danny Welbeck’s backheel 16 minutes from time, shortly after his former teammate had tapped in to put Watford within two goals of safety, there is every chance they could have completed a comeback for the ages.

It’s been a while since we had something like this, a final day with relegation still in the balance.  We have a habit of doing relegation properly when we do it at all and our greatest escapes (1991, 1994) haven’t gone to the final day.  Only 1996 bears comparison and then… not really.  Then we were on thunderous form, trying to steal defeat from the jaws of victory.  Here, the reverse was true.  Then there was a massive sense of anticlimax as the first 20,000+ home crowd since relegation sat sullenly as results elsewhere relegated us anyway and Chelsea loanee Muzzy Izzet propelled Leicester into the play offs and towards promotion.  Here?  Here we gave ourselves a huge mountain to climb, did a reasonable job of climbing it anyway and then didn’t, leaving us in the ignominious position of finishing behind Bournemouth for good measure. In 1996 we dared to believe, propelled by GT’s explosive mini-series (nestled between his two epic screen plays).  In 2020 we had all but given up before kick-off.

Watford were relegated from the Premier League. A hearty performance at the Emirates, but one that came too late. Jon, Mike, Jordi and DCW discuss how they feel after the final whistle of what is, for a little while at least, the last Watford game in the promised land.

21st July 2020- Premier League, Watford 0 Manchester City 4

A programme was advertised as being for sale on the club’s official website a week before the game took place (most clubs continued to produce programmes during the period whilst football was being played behind closed doors because of Covid-19).

However after the sacking of Nigel Pearson this quickly disappeared and two days after the game fans who had ordered a copy were emailed to say that they’d been refunded and their order cancelled.

It must be the first time in over 100 years that Watford did not make a programme available for a competitive fixture. Very few seemed to have survived the cull that presumably took place in the 50 or so hours between Pearson’s sacking and the fixture taking place. Below is the front cover which I found posted on Facebook but I don’t have a copy and have yet find any being sold on eBay.

OS Watford FCMatch Preview

Watford ObserverPep Guardiola claims Nigel Pearson did an incredible job at Watford

Hayden Mullins calls on his Watford squad to remain professional following Nigel Pearson sacking

Referee: Michael Oliver
Paying Attendance:0
First half
Second half

OS Watford FC Post Match

So, after more twists and turns than a water chute at an Orlando waterpark, this 38-game, 11-month season will go right down to the wire next Sunday.

Watford ObserverWatford lose to Manchester City in search for Premier League safety

BBC SportSterling took the game away from the home side before half-time, firing in a rising shot to open the scoring before doubling the advantage by following up his own saved penalty – awarded for a foul on him by Will Hughes.

Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster admitted his side’s confidence is “crazy low” after a 4-0 defeat by Manchester City plunged them into the relegation zone.

sky Phil Foden grabbed City’s third in the 63rd minute to better his goal tally of seven from last season before Aymeric Laporte headed in a simple fourth as Watford capitulated (66).

guardian Minute by minute

Mullins had set up to contain and the pre-match feeling was that even a narrow defeat might not be the worst result if goal difference was to be a factor in Watford’s bid for survival. Mullins and his players did not even get that. This was as one-sided a game as could be imagined, the gulf in class and, as significantly, belief yawning wide. Sterling got his second when he followed up to score after Ben Foster had brilliantly kept out his penalty and the second half was an ordeal for everybody that holds Watford dear.

“I don’t think we helped ourselves,” said Foster, the only Watford player to emerge with credit. “I don’t think we did enough to do anything but what the result suggested. The confidence is so crazy – crazy low. I don’t know why it should be but you get into a state of trying to minimise as much damage as you can and it’s a dangerous way to do things. They’re Man City. They’re very, very good.”

TelegraphIn fact Watford playing City at any time has been traumatic of late with this result meaning the aggregate score from their last three meetings alone – including last season’s FA Cup Final – is 18-0 (6-0, 8-0, 4-0) while scrolling even further back it increases to 39-3. That is simply extraordinary as is the truth that it could have been far worse without an outstanding display from goalkeeper Ben Foster who did not hold back afterwards with his criticism.

BHappy imageBut that Pearson did well to drag us up by our bootlaces and that Pearson is not the right person to be in charge of this club longer term are not mutually exclusive.  I’ve got some sympathy with the view that, if Pearson was going at the end of the season anyway, given the awfulness of much of our football and of West Ham in particular and if he’s been stupid enough to mouth off to his boss, perhaps this wasn’t quite the crass stupidity that kneejerk assessments have painted it.