Nottingham Forest returned to the top of the Championship despite a sweet strike by Watford’s Lewis McGugan denying his former side victory.
Both are little men with big ambitions but there the similarity ends. Gianfranco Zola is urbane and mild-mannered, Billy Davies fierce and feisty. And it remains true that teams naturally reflect their managers.
The curse of the ex-player came back to haunt Nottingham Forest at Watford, but it could not stop them reclaiming top spot.
Forest weathered the sort of second-half fightback that is becoming Watford’s custom and would have had maximum points again but for the high-class save, low to his right, with which Manuel Almunia kept out Ishmael Miller’s goalbound shot.
In my head, we always draw one-all with Forest.  It’s kind of an unwritten rule.  Not strictly true in reality of course; nonetheless a glimpse at the record books reveals ten such outcomes in the last 30 league encounters spanning almost 30 years. It feels as if I’ve seen at least that many.
More games from 25th August at https://oldwatford.com/tag/aug25/
Tag: Henri Lansbury
1st September 2011- UEFA European Under 21 Championship Qualifier, England Under 21s 6 Azerbaijan Under 21s 0 (played at Vicarage Road)
Old Watford is a day by day scrapbook style history of Watford Football Club told through programmes, newspapers, books, fanzines, videos and weblinks.
Stuart Pearce’s England Under-21s thrashed Azerbaijan to start their Euro 2013 qualifying campaign in style.
Stuart Pearce’s England U21 side made a bright start to their Euro Championship qualifying campaign with a 6-0 rout of Azerbaijan.
Six goals, six debutants, three points and no sign of a sea change. England could not have wished for a more comfortable start to their attempt to qualify for a fourth successive European Under-21 Championship as they disposed of Azerbaijan with ease, but there was nothing here to suggest that they will fare any better in the 2013 finals in Israel, if they get there, than they did during June’s dispiriting performance in the 2011 tournament.
A journey of 2,250 miles begins with a single step, and although England were scarcely bothered by their Caucasian visitors in their opening European Championship qualifier, it was an encouragingly cohesive display from the side that Stuart Pearce hopes will lead him to Israel in 2013.
 report:From the first minute where Preston’s defence watched a cross float to the far post with the immobile, distracted air of kids at a firework display it was evident that fun could be had.
