Sean Murray Goal vs Fulham

Sean Murray scored a stunning free kick for Watford against Fulham to setup a Youth Cup quarter final at Chelsea.

Here it is!

Watford 0 Brighton 1 29.1.11

Brighton clashed with Watford in the 4th round of the FA Cup, as the Horns looked to put the defeat against Cardiff that ended the club’s best unbeaten run in a long time behind them.

The Seagulls, currently atop League One, play a vibrant brand of passing football and looked to impose themselves early in the game, playing keep ball and forcing Watford to chase and harry with little reward.

Talking of rewards, Brighton got theirs, and ultimately the winner, from a pot shot 20 yards from goal that stand in keeper Rene Gilmartin failed to hold onto, with the ball inconceivably spinning into the bottom corner. Think Rob Green and you’ve got it.

Brighton continued to dominate into the second half, but Watford began to make chances that had no cutting edge.

The main source of entertainment for Watford fans came as the power failed, turning out the floodlights, “Are we Scunthorpe in disguise?” was scant consolation for a below par performance.

The poor Troy Deeney was replaced at half time by Matt Wichelow, another youngster who continues to show promise. Deeney has had a tough time so far at Vicarage Road, struggling to get any playing time and as a result, goals. Indeed, his being played out of position on the wing is reminiscent of Steve Kabba who forced to play wide and was consistently frustrating for the home fans, for whom he never lived up to the hype associated with his purchase. The same must not be allowed to happen with Troy.

Gilmartin continued to have a torrid time in goal as the away side sought to enhance their score.

The score remained and the Golden Boys were dumped out of the cup by a better side who fought and passed, two things the Horns struggled to do throughout.

As the boos, directed at the match officials, rang out across the Vic, Danny Graham cut a forlorn figure as he trudged from the pitch into the dressing room which must now be picked up as we head into Tuesday’s league fixture against Crystal Palace.

Watford: poor, must do better to sustain a playoff push

Brighton: look certain to get promotion playing some great football

Leyton Orient And The Loss Of Community

I know how it feels to come close to losing your club, Watford very nearly conspired to get themselves liquidated a little over 12 months ago.

Now, the community around Leyton Orient are facing the same prospect.

This was originally posted on Seldom Seen Kid, my professional blog, but I wanted to share it here too.

West Ham and Tottenham Hostpur are both vying for rights to take over the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, in a bid to preserve a lasting legacy for the games.

But, the movement of either club to East London would not only rip them from their heartlands, but also threaten the existence of London’s second oldest football club, Leyton Orient.

The club this morning released an empassioned statement calling for neither club to move to a venue that is around a mile from Brisbane Road.

Orient are a club whose voice has not been heard throughout this shambolic affair, deemed, probably, not large or wealthy enough to grace the corridors of power with their influence. The shifting of a large club on to the door step of a smaller one, may indeed lead to their extinction, and with it, an effervescent community club that treasures the people who live and breathe it.

I have experienced this first hand. For the last couple of years the Dale Jacobs Trophy has taken place close-season – a match that takes places at Brisbane Road in memory of an Orient fan who sadly lost his life to cancer.

The club allows use of the pitch and corporate facilities with a game between the supporters’ trust and fans the highlight of the day, often featuring ex-pros, kind enough to give up their time to get involved.

The club make little money from this, but give a little something back to their community with this gesture.

If this happens at larger clubs, i’m certainly not aware of it.

To disrupt a community like this is socially wreckless. That the government is complicit in the decision over who should take over the stadium after 2012, with their ‘big society’ posturing, is a damning indictment that shows no change: money still talks, no matter what the cause.

I am not a Leyton Orient fan, the better half is and alerted me to this morning’s statement, but I can see, especially given the MK Dons debacle, how reliant a community can be on it’s football club.

Leyton Orient already have a small catchment area in which to try and gain support, do not let that become even smaller by moving one of the giants of English football just around the corner.

In time, I guess we will find out if English football has a conscience, or if it’s just a game of pound signs and egos.

Update: John Beech has a rules and regualationa perspective on his blog, via @kevinrye.

Watford 3 Derby County 0 15.01.11

Watford played Derby on a chilly day at Vicarage Road and secured a 3-0 victory ensuring the Hornets are unbeaten in 7 games, 6 in the league.

Watford’s best run in a decade came at the expense of (the recently dumped from the FA Cup by Crawley) Derby, a team lacking in confidence.

Robbie Savage played a wonderful pantomime villain, falling ballet-like to the floor within 120 seconds of kick off after a clash with Stephen McGinn. As the game went on his giving the ball away, falling over and backchat provided much amusement to the home support.

The first 20 minutes passed with little event, bar a heart-fluttering mix up at the back between Bennett and Loach, and it wasn’t til the opening Watford goal that the game came to life.

Within moments, the Hornets were 2 up, and then 3 up, in the space of ten minutes Watford obliterated any hope County may have had of fixing what was undoubtedly left broken following their cup exit.

The second half was largely a non-event, with Watford containing and frustrating their opponents whose confidence-less performance will be a worry to Rams fans.

Watford 1 Reading 1 20.11.10

Watford v. Reading has been an encounter with a little added spice in recent years. The ghost goal, Brendan Rodgers, Jobi McAnuff, relegation deciders… what more could you want to give pre-match expectations a boost in the stands?

Watford haven’t had much luck of late, with dodgy penalties awarded against, a bunch of goal of the season contenders conceded, and the ball not bouncing in quite the right way.

And do it was with Reading’s opener. A lifeless first half punctuated with another controversial goal,a hand used by Shane Long in controlling the ball before squaring for Hunt to score.

Watford, despite a 4-3-3 formation, looked limp and it took a corner before half time for the Hornets to get back into the match. Deeney nodded in from a corner to tie the game shortly before the break.

Troy needs goals and slowly he’s notching them up. But for an investment of half a million quid plus, much more is needed.

The second half started with a blistering pace, Watford tearing into the reading back four time after time again. Reading were rocking but Watford couldn’t find a break through.

1-1 was, in the end, probably the correct result, despite both teams huffing and puffing to try and find a winner.

Watford: It’s now six games without a win, this isn’t a time to panic of course, but 3 points sooner rather than later would be quite nice please thanks very much. Martin Taylor had his best performance in a Watford shirt, complete with broken nose, an injury sustained in the first half. It is exactly that sort of fighting attitude we’ll need through the cold winter months.

Reading: A poor away record indicated they’d be happy with anything from today, they probably will be. On today’s showing they don’t look a playoff worthy team, but on that note, neither do we.