20th January 2024- Championship, Bristol City 1 Watford 1

Bristol City no longer produce a match day programme.

https://www.skysports.com/football/bristol-city-vs-watford/report/485027

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1

Sky: The visitors grabbed a 13th-minute lead when referee Andrew Kitchen spotted a handball by centre-back Rob Dickie after a free-kick had been played into City’s box and Tom Dele-Bashiru fired a right-footed penalty beyond Max O’Leary’s despairing dive.

BBC: Scott Twine marked his Bristol City debut with a goal as they shared the points with Watford at Ashton Gate. Midfielder Twine, signed on loan from Burnley earlier in the week, headed in the equaliser to cancel out Tom Dele-Bashiru’s penalty.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Bristol City 1 Watford 1

Until they stop gifting goals, who Watford sign this month is academic

A good away point but lack of maturity cost Watford chance of more

Fran’s Watford Blog: A draw was a fair result based on the balance of play, it had been a very even game.  The fans that I spoke to on the way out were all quite happy with an away point.  It was certainly a much better showing than against the same opposition on Boxing Day.  I would say that nobody played brilliantly, but nobody played badly.  City defended resolutely which meant that the Hornets were restricted to hopeful efforts from distance that usually had a body in the way.  But, after some horror shows on the road, we have now gone six away games unbeaten with the result that the numbers travelling to support the lads are increasing, there were 2621 at Ashton Gate, and the mood among the travelling fans is positive.  Long may that last.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/table

14th January 2024- Championship, Queens Park Rangers 1 Watford 2

https://www.skysports.com/football/queens-park-rangers-vs-watford/teams/484708

WFC.net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1  2

Sky: Jake Livermore scored twice from outside of the area as Watford came from under the cosh to dash QPR’s hopes of easing their relegation fears with a 2-1 win at Loftus Road.

BBC: Sinclair Armstrong carried the main threat for Rangers but it was Lyndon Dykes who reduced the deficit when he poked in substitute Paul Smyth’s cross from close range. They could not, though, find an equaliser – as Ben Hamer brilliantly denied Jimmy Dunne – and remain next to bottom of the table, while Watford climb five places to eighth, just one point short of the play-off spots.

Watford Observer: RECAP: QPR 1 Watford 2

Jake’s match-winning double leaves Watford fans wanting Liver-more

It wasn’t just Watford fans who wanted to see more goal attempts at QPR . . .

Livermore is a ‘great example to our young players’ says Ismael

Bhappy: The game, the ball, the noise…. all of the second half’s madness was blown around the interior of the stadium’s cramped, enclosed space like a carrier bag in a gale.  Fitting, then, that the calmest head in this and so many other matches produced the one clear, true note above the carnage.  The ball came to Jake Livermore twenty-five yards out…  in all honesty he should have been closed down, Rangers had gotten bodies in the way of so much else but if you’re going to give anyone a free hit Livermore’s not a bad pick on previous evidence.  Here, instead, his clipped stroke was that of an artist, a flourish of the right foot reminiscent of Marco Cassetti’s poised ball for Matej Vydra in the Leicester play off eleven years ago except that this one required no further contribution, curling across the face of goal and bending inside the post past a helpless Begović.  The goalscorer’s reaction was almost comically relaxed, theatrical, raising his arms aloft in sanguine fashion as the yellow shirts converged.  Behind the goal there was pandemonium which had scarcely abated five minutes later, despite a wasted QPR chance in the interim, when on receiving the ball in a similar position Livermore dispatched again in a more brutal, industrial manner, hard and low, to sweep up the remains of the match that had been going on and replace it with a brand new one.

6th January 2024- FA Cup Third Round, Watford 2 Chesterfield 1

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1  2

BBC: Tom Dele-Bashiru sent Watford into the fourth round of the FA Cup with an injury-time winner against National League leaders Chesterfield. Chesterfield had been on course to upstage a side 63 places above them in the English football pyramid, but late goals from substitute Mileta Rajovic and Dele-Bashiru saved the Hornets.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 2 Chesterfield 1

Hornets survive scare to reach FA Cup fourth round

Ismael had to ‘get loud’ at half-time because ‘players chose to go another way’

‘It was like we were strolling around’ admits Hoedt whose warning went unheeded

BHappy: Chesterfield were never a dull prospect.  Few of us will be overly familiar with the Spireites travails since interrupting 60+ years of bouncing slowly between tiers 3 and 4 to drop out of the League altogether five years ago, but if the margin of their lead at the top of the National League didn’t spark interest, the startling prospect of our visitors capitalising on the FA Cup’s generous rules inflating away allocations by filling the Vicarage Road end will have grabbed everyone’s attention.  A non-league team, even a non-league team that isn’t a non-league team by tradition, even a non-league team that’s the demonstrably the strongest non-league team in the country at the moment doesn’t bring an away following of nearly 4000 with coaches filling Vicarage Road after the game for a nice day out.  Our visitors thought they could get something here, and giddy on the little-risk-high-reward deal described above, were noisy and boisterous throughout.

https://www.thefa.com/competitions/thefacup/results

1st January 2024- Championship, Plymouth Argyle 3 Watford 3

https://www.skysports.com/football/plymouth-argyle-vs-watford/teams/485008

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1  2  3

Sky: Ryan Andrews’ second-half equaliser secured Watford a 3-3 Championship draw from a topsy-turvy New Year’s Day thriller at Plymouth.

BBC: Edo Kayembe’s effort into the bottom corner gave the Hornets an early lead, but Finn Azaz’s superb volley levelled the scores soon after. Azaz turned provider as he teed up Morgan Whittaker to blast the Pilgrims ahead before Ismael Kone’s superb effort made it 2-2, only for Ryan Hardie to get a third for Argyle in a pulsating first half.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Plymouth 3 Watford 3

Watford come back twice to take point in a wet, windy and wild game in the west

‘We made a lot of mistakes and errors in defence in first half’ – Ismael

BHappy: The football, then. As already discussed, and whilst bearing in mind once again that probably and definitely aren’t the same thing… this team probablywon’t get promoted and probably won’t get relegated.  This being the case, surely stupid basketball-like end-to-end football with all that this entails is vastly preferable to any alternative that yields a similarly inconsequential haul of points.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The travelling fans were full of smiles on the way out of the ground.  It had been a tremendously entertaining game.  It was one of those days when you would have loved to be a neutral, but we had all enjoyed it just the same.  The Hornets had generally been great going forward, although Rajović had a poor game, but we could not cope with the pace of the Plymouth forwards who seemed to break forward at will needing great last-ditch tackles and excellent saves from Hamer to keep them out.  There had been some wonderful goals, with Koné’s an absolute belter.  Andrews had a great game, and his goal was a thing of beauty.  The nerves had been jangling at the end of the game, but there was a great atmosphere among the Watford fans, much more positive than we have seen at many games this season and they were in good voice cheering the lads on with much less of the negative chanting that I hate so much.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67818354

29th December 2023- Championship, Watford 1 Stoke City 1

WFC.Net Jon Marks goal commentary: 1

Sky: Watford held out for a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke despite losing Vakoun Bayo early in the second half to a straight red card for lashing out at Luke McNally.

BBC: Jake Livermore gave the Hornets the lead from close range with his first goal for the club, but Ryan Mmaee turned his marker before firing home the equaliser.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 1 Stoke City 1

Ten-man Watford secure deserved point against Stoke

‘The spirit was unbelievable in the stadium. I got some goosebumps’

Performance from Morris was anything but minor

Spirit shown against Stoke put right most of the wrongs of the Boxing Day blip

OPINION-Nobody wants to batter officials, but yesterday was simply too bad

BHappy: Comes to something when a 1-1 draw against Stoke – no disrespect intended, but the sort of result that even an ardent follower of the Championship would skip over without a second thought – was so full of the stuff, surely, that we all go for?  Adrenaline, drama, emotion, heroes, villains?

Fran’s Watford Blog: It was a difficult game.  It was great to see Livermore score his first goal.  He has been so valuable for us since his return to match fitness.  It was also great to see Chakvetadze put in a storming performance that deserved a goal and would have produced one but for the fingertips of Jack Bonham.  Having been disappointed with Asprilla on Boxing Day, I thought that he was a lot more positive going forward.  The goal that was conceded was a little unlucky as the Porteous deflection wrongfooted Dele-Bashiru and gave Mmaee space to take the shot.  But, ultimately, the game changed when Bayo was sent off.  His reaction was foolish, but the strange decisions of the referee had wound a lot of the players up at this point.  I was just glad that they calmed down after that and mounted a tremendous rearguard effort that kept Stoke at bay while the Hornets continued to look for a winner.  They were bolstered by the Vicarage Road crowd who were incredibly noisy, roaring the boys on.  It was great to be a part of it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67798477

26th December 2023- Championship, Watford 1 Bristol City 4

WFC.Net Jon Marks’ Goal Commentary: 1

https://www.watfordfc.com/match-report/match-report-watford-1-4-bristol-city

Sky: The hosts just could not stop losing the ball in midfield and Manning’s men cashed in with a strike from Cameron Pring and an own goal from Wesley Hoedt to lead at the break.

BBC: Half-time substitute Giorgi Chakvetadze made an immediate impact, pulling a goal back for Watford four minutes after the interval. But Mark Sykes scored a minute later and Andreas Weimann capped a resounding Robins victory by adding a late fourth.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 1 Bristol City 4

The ghosts of home games past return to haunt Watford this Christmas

‘We gave the game away from the first minute’ – Ismael

Watford haven’t enjoyed a half-time lead for eight games

‘We need to work on being more stable and calm in possession of the ball’

Lewis looks set to be out until mid-January

Fran’s Watford Blog: It was a very disappointing showing from the Hornets who struggled to keep hold of the ball and couldn’t control the opposition.  Too often, passes were misplaced or just aimed for a space that was only ever going to be taken up by an opposition player.  Andrews had one of the poorest games that I have seen from him and Asprilla seemed very reluctant to take on the defenders, so their faltering partnership was exploited by City.  It is hard to pick out a good performance although I thought that Healey did well in a game in which he was allowed to make more than his usual cameo appearance.  But the positive that I will take out of the game is that the heads never dropped, and the players continued to attack right to the end, even if it was largely ineffective.  I was pleased that more than one of the people that I spoke to after the game questioned the booing.  I don’t think that the players deserved that after their recent performances. But it was another disappointing Boxing Day.  Let us hope that this is just a blip, and we return to winning ways on Friday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67756822