After the high of victory against Boro it looked very like we were going to suffer our first home defeat of the season so to equalise right near then end has elated me, for a short time at any rate. When the dust settles, though, this has got to go down as a disappointing result and we’ve missed a great opportunity to keep pace with our immediate rivals, who must be smiling now.
BEFORE
After Monday's great battling win I'm trying not to think that we're easily going to get another three points this afternoon. Watford are one of the few teams to have beaten us this season and they were around the play-off spots not so long back but their form has dropped off and they've lost their last three league games. I don't think we have any injuries hanging over from the Boro match while news on the long-term injuries front is looking good for a change. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Mundle back. I'm also looking forward to seeing what else Enzo can come up with after his brilliant display against the Smogs and I'd also like to see Mayenda on earlier as he always creates a threat. Leeds and Burnley are both involved in FA Cup matches today so we have an opportunity to make the table look better at least. I'll be listening to the game on SAFSEE and my match prediction is a 3-1 win for us.
When I got the team-news around 11.45, I saw that Jobe was missing, presumably injured, and Abdul Samed was starting. Watford’s dangerman Chakvetadze was starting for them. I had a lot of trouble getting the stream on SAFSEE and had to rely on BBC Sport text updates for a while.
THE MATCH
Our first attempt on goal came in the sixth minute when Cirkin fed Rigg and his shot was saved by Selvik. We soon won the first corner of the game and a Hume effort was blocked. Watford managed to break away and in the tenth they got their first corner, conceded by Cirkin. A Pollock shot was blocked but we were soon up the other end and took the lead in the sixteenth through O’Nien. I can’t remember the last time we scored from a corner but that drought had to end sometime. The corner came over from our left and Hume hit a looped pass back towards the left post where O’Nien was waiting to hit it home with a diving header. Watford had to go for it and they proceeded to put us under some pressure while having much more of the ball.
We were handling the pressure well but I’d been hoping we’d be going for a second rather than having to defend. Just after the half-hour Cirkin and Isidor were both yellow-carded after Doumbia had also gone into the book of referee Robert Jones. Hume and O’Nien combined again about five minutes before the break but this time Luke’s header went wide of the post. Next thing a Doumbia header was blocked by Patto and when he chased the rebound he was fouled by Cirkin in the box. Dele-Bashiru rolled the spot-kick into the bottom right-hand corner and it was 1-1. Gary Bennett said that we’d lost our way.
Three minutes of added-time were duly announced and deep into that we survived a shot from Andrew’s that went just wide of the left post. It remained 1-1 as the half-time whistle went. Things certainly hadn’t turned out as we’d all hoped but I hoped, like Benno, that Mayenda would be on asap.
Unfortunately there was further gloom not long after we’d kicked off again when Louza shot from just outside our box into the top left corner giving Patto no chance. Nobody was closing him down and he had time to pick his spot. Our fans had been stunned into silence and I expected some substitutions to be made before long. In the fifty-third a header from Mepham went narrowly over and that was more like it. There was still plenty of time to get an equaliser and even win. We were pressing and won a free-kick on each flank but nothing came of them. Just before the hour-mark we made a couple of changes, bringing on Aleksic and Poveda for Abdul Samed and Roberts so I hoped they’d give us some oomph. Shortly after that Enzo fed Isidor and his shot was blocked but it was something to cheer about at least. Enzo was booked for a foul just after that. With just a quarter of the game to go we had to do something soon.
Mayenda came on for Rigg in the seventy-second and hope reared its ugly head again. Watford were taking the game to us and next thing Chakvetadze had an attempt on goal that was saved by Patto. We won a rare corner in the seventy-seventh but nothing came of it and a short while later Mepham became our fourth player to be yellow-carded. We were into the last ten minutes and my spirits were low so even a draw was looking like a decent result. Ballard replaced Mepham and the time was slipping away far too quickly. Just when it looked like we were heading for defeat, we equalised in the last minute of normal time and again it came from a corner. The kick came over from the left and after a clever flick from Isidor, Cirkin hit it home from close range.
Five minutes of added-time were announced and both Isidor and Aleksic had chances to score in the ninety-third and should have made it more difficult for Selvik. It ended 2-2.
