Tag Archives: John Eustace

4th May 2013- Championship, Watford 1 Leeds United 2

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=5064

Watford missed out on automatic promotion after losing to Leeds in a game delayed by serious injury to keeper Jonathan Bond. Dominic Poleon put Leeds in front, but Almen Abdi levelled shortly after. Watford’s Troy Deeney then saw red for two bookable offences before news of a late Cardiff equaliser at Hull left the Hornets needing a goal to go up. But Ross McCormack scored Leeds’ winner with the help of a blunder by replacement keeper Jack Bonham.

Bond, who was taken to hospital in the first half after Poleon’s shove to Anya, was only on the pitch after regular keeper Manuel Almunia injured himself during the warm-up.

The blood on the pitch told its own story, as did 16 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half, and it was a dereliction of duty on the part of the referee, Graham Salisbury, that he did not send Poleon off. Overall Salisbury did not cover himself in glory, having earlier missed Michael Brown denying Jonathan Hogg a clear goalscoring opportunity when he tripped the Watford midfielder in the area.

“I thought at the end that we were going to make it,” admitted Zola, now compelled to lift his men ahead of the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Leicester on Thursday night. “There were 10 minutes to go and, although we had one player fewer, I believed we had the quality. I was taking a big gamble but we had to try.”

This ought to hurt. When you turn away and distract yourself with other things, it ought to be staring you straight in the face whenever you look back. It ought to make you want to punch the wall and throw things and find some really destructive gardening to do. If I take solace in anything – and I’m struggling – then it’s in the reaction of Jonathan Hogg, whose post-match lap of honour was so reluctant and desultory that it barely took him beyond the centre circle and never, not for a moment, involved looking at anything other than his own feet. Lap of honour? Bollocks to that.

14th April 2012- Championship, Watford 1 Hull City 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=5012

Troy Deeney’s ninth of the season earned Watford a 1-1 draw against Hull to cancel out James Chester’s opener at Vicarage Road.

Having played 4-5-1 at Cardiff, Sean Dyche had explained his aspiration to a tactical flexibility that would leave us comfortable switching between a number of formations. Now is undoubtedly the time to try new things of course, but despite that it it has now seen us take points from consecutive games against teams above us in the table there was little sign of 4-5-1 proving terribly effective.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2012-04-14

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/14-april-2012/

23rd April 2011- Championship, Watford 1 Barnsley 0

Vince Pitt’s cartoon has not aged well.

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4963

Captain John Eustace’s winner after just 43 seconds kept Watford’s slim play-off hopes flickering after a poor game against Barnsley at Vicarage Road.

Don Cowie delivered a corner from the right and after Troy Deeney hit the crossbar with a powerful header, Eustace was on hand to prod in from point blank range.

If Troy Deeney eventually blended into the anonymous blur, he took an awful lot longer than most. Often up-and-down in a rather Jordan Stewart kinda way – undermining a positive and encouraging contribution one moment with a distracted, infuriating error almost immediately (although never quite to Stewart’s peerless level) – his first half in particular was jam-packed with consistent, varied contributions. Strong headers, hard work, neat touches, bright vision. In a forward line featuring Danny Graham and Marvin Sordell, his was the star turn, the real source of impetus and momentum.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2011-04-23

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/23-april-2011/

5th April 2010- Championship, Watford 1 West Bromwich Albion 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4911

Chris Brunt scored a dramatic equaliser five minutes into injury time to rescue West Brom and break Watford hearts. The relegation-threatened hosts looked set to claim a vital win after Danny Graham’s superb long-range strike with only five minutes left to play.

Malky Mackay’s team showed grit after losing their top scorer Tom Cleverley, who was taken off on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask after being caught on the ankle by Jonas Olsson, then having Jon Harley sent off, to take the lead in the85th minute through Danny Graham’s 25-yard shot.

It was a tense affair from the start with Watford fighting to remain in the Championship and Albion knowing that, by this evening they could be back in the Premier League.

There was a point in the second half where the floodlights came on just as the sun came out. “What an odd day,” was the instinctive thought, which lead to the reflection that an odd day might be required in overturning our fifteen-year league hoodoo against the Albion. It didn’t quite happen, although the rueful “I’d take a draw from here” sentiment as Jon Harley departed was severely tested…

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2010-04-05

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/05-april-2010/