Main Menu
What's New
97/98: Reports:

Nationwide League Division 2, 28/2/98
Watford 3(2)
Team: Chamberlain 3, Gibbs 4, Easton 3, Page 3, Millen 3, Mooney 4, *Noel-Williams 4*, Palmer 4, Foley 2, Johnson 4, Rosenthal 4
Subs: Slater (for Foley) 0, Bazeley (for Easton) 0, Thomas
Scorers: Noel-Williams (18), Rosenthal (26), Mooney (88)
Bristol Rovers 2(0)
Scorers: White (51), Cureton (81)
A Graham Taylor game of football
Report by Ian Grant

Bigger goals? Instant replays? Bans on tackling? Blindfolded goalkeepers? Pah!

Football's a perfect game and tinkering only takes us further away from the ideal. After all, duff decisions only add to the sense of injustice which, it seems to me, is a very vital part of a supporter's protection from disappointment. As for the goalless draw, that's such an essential element in football's appeal that I find it deeply insulting that FIFA could even consider the possibility of eliminating it.

If you wanted to put a case for football's defence, you could do worse than this belting match. Proof that, while goals are the tangible measurement of excitement, true drama emerges from the ebb and flow of the game itself. More goals would have made this less dramatic, not more. There have been more memorable wins this season - and I'm sure I don't have to elaborate on that - but there probably haven't been more exhilarating matches. You really couldn't have written a better script.

With Watford badly needing a morale and points boosting victory, we saw all that and much more. We'd have been very satisfied with a comfortable win...but would we have been on our feet, screaming our joy at the heavens, giving the players an almighty ovation? Of course not. This sends us soaring into the Walsall game.

For the first time in too long, Watford looked like promotion material. Not perfect, not without problems, but infinitely more confident and ambitious. That has less to do with the enforced changes (although I do like Steve Palmer in midfield), than with the return to form of key players - Ronny Rosenthal, Gifton Noel-Williams, Richard Johnson.

Crucially, there was movement - more forwards making runs in and around the box, more attacking defenders, better crossing positions. The Rovers defence, hardly the most efficient in the division, couldn't deal with it. Even before the first goal there had been chances - most notably, Rosenthal heading wide from a right wing cross.

That the additional punch up front comes at some cost to our own security is of little consequence - most of us were brought up on attack-attack-attack football from Taylor's Watford teams. Besides, generally speaking, Robert Page, Keith Millen and Nigel Gibbs are more than a match for opposition forwards, while Alec Chamberlain stands in the way of anyone who does get through. Again, this was demonstrated in the early stages, Millen cutting off a Rovers break in its prime with a thoroughly decisive intervention.

So things were looking good. We no longer look stagnant. And, for once, we were able to turn spells of possession into chances and chances into goals. Even so, Noel-Williams' open came out of nowhere - a long ball from Chamberlain finding its way through into the box, where Gifton and Ronny fought among themselves for the honour of forcing a shot past the Rovers keeper.

The second, just six minutes later, was almost as simple in execution. Fine work from Clint Easton and Tommy Mooney on the left wing created space for a cross to pick out Rosenthal in acres of space. Ronny's control was sharp enough to leave the keeper stranded in no man's land and he was able to lob the ball neatly into the net.

The rest of the half reflected the scoreline. Apart from a run and tame shot by Beadle, Rovers only rarely threatened the Watford goal. Noel-Williams aside, the Hornets didn't run riot - they just competed harder, used more intelligence in their forward play than we've seen for weeks, showed some quality.

Throughout, Gifton made much of the difference between the two sides. One run late in the half, surging from deep on the left all the way into the box and to the bye-line, was spookily reminiscent of Bruce Dyer at his best - pace, power and skill in single-minded harmony. Mind you, he still managed to waste one of the best chances of the half with a weak header straight at the keeper.

Otherwise, Richard Johnson smacked in a sizzling drive that the keeper fended off as much as saved - most of us would've just got the hell out of the way. From the rebound, Dominic Foley was unfortunate to lift the ball over the bar. Which, it has to be said, was Foley's one intervention in forty-five minutes of football that almost entirely passed him by - yes, he did improve as the game went on...but that's really not much of a compliment.

Just in case anyone's compiling a dossier of evidence against Jason Lee, we missed him badly. Let no-one point to this game as an example of Lee's absence causing us to play better. It simply isn't true. We played better despite Lee's suspension, not because of it. The knock-downs from crosses, the flick-ons from long balls, the strength in holding up the ball, the simple involvement in the game - Foley has none of these, Lee has them all.

If you want proof, let's look at the second half. That Rovers emerged from the dressing room with their ears ringing was to be expected. We were always going to be under pressure in the first ten or so minutes. Ultimately, we were extremely unlucky not to weather the storm. Yet our inability to make the ball stick up front when it was cleared did the defence no favours at all - in that respect, we needed Jason Lee, we needed someone strong.

That said, the defence isn't exactly exempt from blame for Rovers' second half revival. Bearing in mind Wednesday's fiasco, it's surprising and not at all encouraging to see Watford players standing stationary appealing for offside as an opposition forward speeds towards goal - you'd have thought we'd have learnt that linesmen sometimes make mistakes. Still, that opposition forward was Peter Beadle and he didn't let us down, giving the advancing Chamberlain a relatively easy save with an indecisive shot.

Rovers pulled a goal back seconds later and, as I've already mentioned, it owed everything to luck. The corner that had resulted from Beadle's chance was eventually cleared and a speculative shot was fired in - it took a colossal deflection, sending it arcing away from Chamberlain and in off the post. You just can't stop goals like that.

If it had been a good game until that point, it just got better. For Watford fans, the nerves started to show. We were still an attacking force - Gifton, in particular, was making a habit out of bamboozling whichever Rovers defender happened to be nearest - yet the lack of a target man was beginning to tell. Foley's overhead, which went straight at the Rovers' keeper, was our best effort - beyond that, though, we had plenty of clever play but too little brute force. As has happened so often this season, some parts of the jigsaw - in this case our creative play - fall into place just as another piece - the centre forward - goes missing.

The game was perfectly poised for an astonishingly dramatic finale. A Rovers equaliser was unthinkable - we'd worked so hard to get ourselves in a winning position, it was so vital that we came through. Yet a Rovers equaliser was what we got, and so late in the day that it seemed doubly cruel. Hayles went on a jinking run down the right wing, exposing our inadequacies on that side (Clint Easton is not a defender, no siree). As he cut into the area and went round Keith Millen, he was brought down.

The spot-kick twisted the knife even more. Cureton's kick was poor, Chamberlain saved relative easily with his body, we all jumped up to celebrate our escape. But Cureton reacted first to the rebound and the ball was forced home, leaving Watford fans gutted and Rovers fans jubilant.

You know how it is when you get a gut feeling about something? I got it against Luton - but it was wrong, we didn't win. This time it was right. Somehow I felt we'd score. As I said before, the script was perfect - the game was vital, the Rovers comeback was almost vindictive, the stage was set for a late winner. Cometh the hour, cometh the Mooney.

It goes back to what I was saying about brute force. Sometimes you can score a goal just by wanting to score it so much that the impossible becomes possible. Dominic Foley, and I'm not trying to be unfair to him, will never score a goal like Tommy Mooney's winner. Receiving the ball just inside the area, Mooney just ploughed his way through the Rovers defence, digging his way out of tackles, fending off challenges, ignoring simpler lay-offs. Somehow, like the winner of an egg-and-spoon race through the Amazon jungle, he emerged from all this with the ball still at his feet. The angle was ridiculously tight, so he took the only option open to him - he just twatted it. We followed its path, expecting to see it whizz across the six yard box and out for a throw...but it hit the net and the Vicarage Road ended exploded. Mooney stood there, hand cupped around his ear, until he was swamped by players and fans. One of those moments that you never forget...

God knows what would've happened if Rovers had equalised again. They should've done too, Beadle wasting a free header from close range - it hit the outside of the post but that didn't disguise the fact that he had no excuse for not scoring. If I hadn't seen some of the evidence with my own eyes, I'd be convinced that Peter Beadle's goals were fanciful lies spread about by his agent.

If this doesn't propel us into the First Division, absolutely nothing will. Watford versus Bristol Rovers was, if you know what I mean, a Graham Taylor game of football. At flippin' last.

Best of both halves and sides
Report by Matt Bunner

It was one of those games where you were not sure of the result until you heard it on Sports Report, such was the action contained within the last 10 minutes. I do like these type of games: end-to-end stuff and last minute winners (ours of course). It makes the journey so much more worthwhile.

Taylor again announced a different side to that which played the week before. Today we had match-stick man Clint Easton in at left midfield with new on-loan signing Dominic Foley up front, in place of the suspended Jason Lee. Very surprised that Dai Thomas didn't get a start - I wonder how he must feel seeing someone signed on loan going straight into the first team? Micah Hyde was ruled out with a knee injury and rumour has it that he could be out for weeks.

The initial exchanges were very encouraging for Watford as the absence of the target man meant we had to direct everything via the grass. Easton was looking particularly inventive on the left, producing lovely inter-play between Mooney, Rosenthal and GNW. The first meaningful action saw a cross from the right headed just wide by Rosenthal. On the quarter hour, a ball was gently lofted towards Rosenthal and GNW who were between two Rovers defenders. The ball was allowed to bounce twice as Rosenthal and GNW left it for each other, but just as the 'keeper advanced, GNW toe poked the ball under his body and the ball trickled into the net.

Rovers were restricted to counterattacks with the lively, but agricultural, Hayles a threat. Beadle had a chance to even things up, but snatched at a shot. Just before the half hour, what seemed an innocuous ball was guided across the Rovers area. The 'keeper rushed out, but then stopped assuming that the Rovers defender would clear the danger. The defender, seeing the 'keeper, left it alone and Ronnie hooked the ball over his shoulder into the empty net. It was at this time and after that Watford produced some superb groundwork. A lovely turn by GNW on the left enabled him to roast the right back and cut a super ball back for Palmer (?) to side foot towards goal. The shot was blocked with 'keeper firmly parked on the ground. Minutes later, Gibbs and Rosenthal interchanged to set up a Johno special. The half-volley with the left foot was hit with stunning power and the 'keeper failed to hold on to the shot. The ball spilled to Foley who had to react immediately, but unfortunately diverted the header over. It was really the half that shouldn't have ended as Watford could and should have been 4-0 up.

Rovers couldn't play any worse. They failed to get stuck in and things had to change. They were snappier and more lively on the break in the second and had Watford for some periods pinned back in their half. Whether we intentionally sat back, I don't know, but even at 2-0 we were looking slightly uncomfortable. We still managed to hit them on the break, with good play, most notably from the right in Gibbs and GNW. Then came a turning point. The ball was pumped forward looking for Beadle. At the time Hayles was trotting back on side, but only 10 yards from Beadle. Hayles was CLEARLY offside, but as the Watford back line did an 'Arsenal' and threw their hands up and waited, it left Beadle with a one-on-one with Chamberlain (I've said that three reports running now!). As we all know, Chamberlain is gaining a reputation for one-on-ones and thanks to the Lord he came up with goods. However, we were still under a pressure from the resulting corners. From one of these corners, the ball was scrambled to the edge of the area. A Rovers player had a shot that was pin-balled towards the goal. Chamberlain stood rooted as the ball hit the post and dropped behind the line.

Rovers scented a point and threatened with their creativity and swift breaking. Hayles was starting to look more dangerous and one particular run on the right took him past Easton and he delivered and ideal ball into the area but luckily no-one was there. However, we still counterattacked well and forced a couple of good saves from the 'keeper.

Nine minutes from time Hayles set off on another run down the right. There were at least two, if not three, Watford players around, but he still managed to keep the ball. This run was nearly identical to the previous one, except this time he cleverly cut in knowing that he could get a penalty. Unfortunately, Millen left a trailing leg and that was it. I was praying for a miracle and I leapt out of my seat as Chamberlain saved another one-on-one. This time, there was an unfortunate ending. The ball ricocheted to Cureton, the taker, and from an acute angle hit the ball past an off-balance Chamberlain. The ball was helped in by about 10 Watford players. This event had the desired effect on Watford - I think it dawned that they could get only a point from a game that was for all intense purposes wrapped up.

I don't know how the winner was created, but all I know is that Mooney got the ball inside the left portion of the penalty box. Despite two attempts from Cureton to bring Mooney down (if he had, would a penalty result?), Mooney managed to keep the ball and from where I was (miles away), appear to drill in a low cross. The next thing I saw was the right hand side of the net bulging. Cue mass hysteria!!!!!! I must see the angle from which he scored - I wonder if it was similar to the Plymouth goal a couple of weeks back? On my watch, that was 90 minutes, but that wasn't the end of the action. Right at the death, Beadle, coming in unmarked at the far post, had a golden opportunity to equalise. His header brushed the angle and the post - phew!!!!

I'll tell you that was a needed victory, but what was encouraging was the manner in which the game was played by both sides. Is it a coincidence that Lee's absence created the football that we saw today? At least it bore out Taylor's strategy of going out to win games if it means losing them. I can't wait for Slater on the right and Rosenthal on the left feeding a hungry front two - GNW and one other. Who that one other is may only be answered by Taylor, but my money's on Lee, only if we play the ball on the ground.

Looking forward to Tuesday, but with action a bit more one way!