Tag Archives: Southampton

16th August 2026- Championship, Watford 2 Southampton 1

Watford Observer: Dionisi on tough start: ‘It won’t be easy for the opposition either’

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 2-1 Southampton

Match Report: Outstanding Watford produce memorable 2-1 win over Southampton

WATCH: Immediate reaction to Watford 2-1 Southampton

‘We were one team’ – Dionisi hails Watford mentality in Saints win

Dionisi: ‘Keben was probably better than everyone’

Keben and Bravo lead the way as Watford walk the walk

Nabizada: ‘I want to live this feeling every week’

BBC: Southampton were beaten in their first Championship match since the Spygate scandal, as Watford got off to a winning start under new boss Alessio Dionisi.

Sky: Summer signing Iker Bravo and teenage academy product Amin Nabizada gave new Watford manager Alessio Dionisi a fine win, while Southampton’s players were heckled, both on the pitch and from the stands, for their actions at the end of last season.

BHappy: The visitors look confident, capable, and are dominating the ball while we look a bit edgy. Dobbin escapes down the left and squares… we clear it unconvincingly, he’s flagged off anyway. Hector is booked for a clumsy foul… we can’t surely be this desperate, this stretched after only ten minutes? Then we score, and everything changes.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The pre-match tributes to Kevin Keegan and Kenny Jackett were both very emotional. Kenny is someone that I watched emerge from the youth team to become a legend. I was also lucky enough to meet him a few times and found him to be a lovely man who just wanted to chat to you about football. He was taken far too soon. The flag was a thing of beauty and the least that the fans could have done to honour Kenny. Special thanks to the 1881 for arranging it and to Roy and Phil for driving to Poland to collect it in time for the match.

From the Rookery End: A 2-1 win over Southampton gave Vicarage Road the sort of afternoon that has been in short supply recently, with two young players finding the net, a captain leading from the front and plenty of early signs of what Alessio Dionisi wants from his team.

7th February 2026- Championship, Southampton 1 Watford 0

Watford Observer: Why Southampton v Watford will kick off at 12.31 on Saturday

Referee named for Watford’s trip to Southampton

Daniels demanding ‘same energy, enthusiasm and quality’ at Saints

‘We want to be effective with the ball’ – How Daniels wants Watford to play

When we next play them it would be lovely if we could come up with a similar image for that leaflet that now masquerades as a programme featuring the 7-1, the 4-1 win in 1982, the Chris Nicholl nightmare in 1983, the 3-2 in 1999, the 5-2 in 2004 and the 5 consecutive wins against them from 2005-2008.

Match Wrap: Southampton 1-0 Watford – Watford FCDownload

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY LIVE: Southampton 1-0 Watford

Match Report: Watford without a goal in three as they lose 1-0 to Southampton

Daniels calls for accountability after ‘unfortunate’ timing of Goglichidze sub

Daniels rues missed chances as ‘good performance’ unrewarded at Saints

BBC: New Southampton signing Cyle Larin scored just three minutes into his Southampton debut as Saints beat Watford in the Championship.

Sky: For the Hornets, who were led by interim Charlie Daniels for the second time, they are winless since New Year’s Day and haven’t scored in their last three matches.

30th August 2025- Championship, Watford 2 Southampton 2

Watford Observer Pre-Match coverage: Southampton team news: Kwadwo Baah, Mattie Pollock and Othmane Maamma updates

Paulo Pezzolano and Valon Behrami discuss why Watford signed Nampalys Mendy

Paulo Pezzolano wants Watford to flex their muscles against Southampton

https://www.watfordfc.com/news/2025/august/30/digital-digest–southampton-edition/
Match Wrap: Watford 2-2 Southampton – Watford FCDownload

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 2-2 Southampton

Five talking points as Watford draw with Southampton

Match report: Irankunda does it again as Watford draw 2-2 with Southampton

Pezzolano confirms imminent Andrews departure: ‘This is a good opportunity for him’

Paulo Pezzolano: ‘Nestory Irankunda hasn’t accomplished anything yet’

BBC: Southampton and Watford both scored late free-kicks in an entertaining draw at Vicarage Road in the Championship.

Sky: First, Ryan Manning curled his left-footed low set-piece shot into the bottom corner of Egil Selvik’s net to put a rebuilding Southampton side on the verge of a second away win of the season. Then, Watford’s Nestory Irankunda, who had posed a threat all match, used his right foot to take the aerial route past Southampton keeper Gavin Bazunu and into the top corner.

BHappy: It’s “only” a point, and we “only” have five after four games. Nonetheless, you’d need a heart of stone to be unexcited by the direction of travel. Chak, Wiley, Maamma, at least one Mendy still to come in, Louza to return from suspension. A head coach who is bold enough to make decisive moves to win a game, smart enough to bring his team to salute the Rookery before kick-off, decent enough to give Ryan Andrews a brief cameo on his way out of the door despite the very evident heat of the moment. The Switzerland-bound full-back was propelled in front of the Rookery for a final “one of our own” salute as the team returned on the final whistle.

Fran’s Watford Blog: I think we were all expecting Southampton to be tricky opponents and that proved to be the case, but the Hornets matched them and did very well to come from behind on two occasions to win a very creditable point. The goals were, of course, the main talking points. Having watched some painful VAR decisions in the televised games before the match, I was glad that it wasn’t in play for our first goal. It was notable that this was created by two substitutes with Vata’s forward ball met by a powerful strike from Baah. Then Irankunda showed that his free kick last week wasn’t a fluke with another beauty that gave the keeper no chance. Mike had recorded the goal and it was a joy to see it again. Nestory was tremendous all game, and I was pleased to see both Baah and Irankunda on the pitch at the same time. They will cause problems for many teams in this division. The early goal was disappointing, but the Hornets generally defended well from that point on.

13th April 2024- Championship, Southampton 3 Watford 2

https://www.skysports.com/football/southampton-vs-watford/teams/485215

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1  2

Sky: Will Smallbone and Che Adams had put Saints on course to capitalise on Leeds and Leicester’s earlier defeats before Ryan Porteous and Ismael Kone levelled things up.

BBC: But Downes netted in the ninth minute of stoppage time, leaving the fourth-placed Saints seven points behind second-placed Leicester but with a game in hand, and having played two fewer matches than third-placed Leeds.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Southampton 3 Watford 2

Ridiculous stoppage-time decision by officials rob Watford

‘I am struggling to see how we have led to that corner being taken’

Cleverley took positives from Saturday but knows he needs to start winning

Fran’s Watford Blog: I was absolutely gutted at the end of the game.  It was a cruel way to lose, we didn’t deserve that at all.  After a disastrous start to the game and a first 20 minutes when the Hornets had struggled, the lads had done incredibly well to get back in the game and had the better of the second half.  We deserved to come away with at least a point, so the celebrations in the home stands really hurt.  The players were cheered off the field by the travelling Hornets, which was as it should have been.  We have been greatly entertained in most of the games since Cleverley took over and, with such a difficult run of games, have done considerably better than I would have expected.  All we need now is a home win (or two).

6th February 2024- FA Cup Fourth Round Replay, Southampton 3 Watford 0

Attendance: 17,844

BBC: Sekou Mara’s double strike helped Southampton to a comfortable FA Cup replay win against Watford that sets up a tie against Liverpool at Anfield.

Watford Observer: Dennis stays behind as the rest of the squad heads south

RECAP: Southampton 3 Watford 0

Cup exit follows transfer window in offering no encouragement

Squad depth and size still not a problem for Ismael

Fran’s Watford Blog: It was another poor performance from the Hornets.  Maybe things would have been different had the shot from Koné dipped under the bar but generally they had been shot shy, having only a single shot on target, and as soon as the home side scored there was only one winner.  The Watford players have often been careless with their passing this season, but they were particularly bad in the second half of this game as, time after time, the ball was given away allowing the home side to attack.  The only positive of the evening, apart from meeting some lovely people in the WoW group, was that I don’t think any of us really wanted a trip to Liverpool.  Much as I love that city, it is soul destroying being thrashed at Anfield.

28th January 2024- FA Cup Fourth Round, Watford 1 Southampton 1

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 1 Southampton 1

Hornets taken to cup replay after late Saints equaliser

Lack of composure in possession cost Watford says head coach

Sky: Watford and Southampton face a replay for a place in the FA Cup fifth round and a trip to Liverpool, following a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road.

BBC: Substitute Stuart Armstrong struck late to earn Southampton an FA Cup fourth-round replay with a draw at Championship rivals Watford. Matheus Martins’ early free-kick had looked like being enough for the home side until the Scotland international levelled in the 89th minute.

Fran’s Watford Blog: While it was disappointing to concede so late in the game, the draw was a fair result.  The Hornets had dominated the first hour of the game and had enough chances to ensure the win.  But, once the visitors strengthened on the hour mark, they were much the stronger of the two teams and could have won it in time added on.  The late equaliser meant a check of my calendar to see what I will miss in order to go to Southampton (likely Belinda O’Hooley at the Green Note), although the prospect of a fifth round at Anfield is not filling me with excitement.  The positive on the day was all the young fans around us enjoying supporting their team from the middle of the Rookery.  I hope that they enjoyed the day despite the late opposition goal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023–24_FA_Cup