Sunderland travelled to Watford, who hadn't changed managers in over a week, and brought back a deserved point from a lively and hard-fought encounter. Watford's 34th minute opener was cancelled out on the stroke of halftime by Alese, and O'9's 62nd minute own goal, when Patto looked to have been impeded, was eventually cancelled out by sub Benette on 87. There were chances to win it, but none were taken in a pretty breathless encounter.
The big discussion on the way down was about which Sunderland we'd get - Boro or Reading - although there wasn't that much time for discussion, as we were watching Jack's goal in loop. As we had been since Wednesday night, probably making it the most watched sporting footage since some mag punched a horse. Our surviving forward's big toe was also considered, the consensus being that he should rub liniment on it and get on with life. Travel to Swansea was also on the agenda, but it all got too complicated.
We found Watford's Market Tavern, where a home fan bumped Ronnie's pint, causing minimal spillage - but the nice chap insisted on buying us a pint apiece, which sort of restores your faith in humanity. On the telly, Man City did their best impression of us at Reading, but didn't quite manage.
Vicarage Road might have been much tidied up since our last visit, but the concourse is still abysmally insufficient for more than a dozen people.
We keep kicked off in the stripes away from the massed ranks as we lined up:
Patterson
Gooch Batth O'Nien Alese
Evans Neil
Clarke Pritchard Embleton Roberts
...and Bass, Dajaku, Benette, Diallo, Matete, Hume, and Ba on the bench.
The 4-6-0 formation was there again, with Neil tending to the right and Roberts, Embo, and Pritch taking turns to occupy the space behind our non-existent centre forward.
A Gooch header was needed to knock a cross behind for a corner on our right - eventually bringing a great save from Patto, but a foul was given anyway. He was down smartly soon after to deny a Watford burst through the middle, much to our relief. Gooch took a pass from Roberts and fired in a left-footer, but it didn't curl enough and flew beyond the far post. Lively stuff, and it had to be against a side who, unlike Reading, weren't fooled by our lack of a forward. We hassled them in their own half, which was the sensible option when you consider their ability on the ball. Better to keep them up their end passing it about than allow to do it near Patto. Mind, when Batth played it a bit short to our stopper, Patto had to revert to some Roberts-esque footwork to get it clear and save a red face for our central defender. Phew.
On 34, Gooch couldn't prevent a low cross, which Patto tipped out when perhaps leaving it would have meant it was out of reach of their man. Easy tap in, 0-1, although there looked to be a hint of offside about it from my seat- mind, I am horribly biased. A few more Watford corners followed, mostly thanks to stout defending by Gooch, all of which were dealt with in one way or another.
As you'd expect of a team with recent Prem experience, the Hornets knocked it around quite well, although I was waiting for Choudhury to produce one of his trademark red card "tackles" to give us a numerical advantage. He should really have got at least a yellow for a push in Clarke in the box on 50 minutes that was so comically obvious that the ref couldn't believe it and gave nowt. Ridiculous, Mr Madely.
Right on half time, as a single added minute was announced, we chased and harried in their box, we screamed for a penalty, but the Lads raced toward the corner flag in celebration as the ref signalled a goal. He must have heard a bleep in his ear from the 2022 equivalent of the Umbro Cannonball's digital magic. Alese was credited with the crucial touch that got the ball over the line, having stabbed Clarke's parried shot beneath the keeper and over the line before Choudhury hacked it away, for his first Sunderland goal.
Isn't technology great?
Given how the game had gone, we were well worth being level, as we'd defended well with Luke revelling against his boyhood team and Alese standing up well to anything they tried down our left.
We made no changes for the second half and had to be on our toes as the home side dominated the early stages. We'd produced some good defensive play, and added a couple of dangerous breaks, but it all went wrong just after the hour. It looked like we'd done the defending bit correctly again when O9 rose above everyone in the middle of the box - but headed sweetly (from a Watford viewpoint) into the far corner - although there were shouts for a foul on Patto that blocked his access to the ball.
In response, Mowbray swapped Embo for Diallo to add some more pace to our play, and his influence was immediate. He'd already had his shirt virtually removed right in front of an obviously blind linesman before he picked out Clarke's run with a dinked cross from the right corner of the box. Jack obliged with a side-footed volley past the keeper, but our joy was short-lived as the liner (aye, that one) signalled offside and brought down a torrent of abuse on his head.
Neil and Clarke made way for Dajaku and Benette with 18 to go, and they were joined a few minutes later by Ba, on for Pritch.
With ten to go, Ba found Matete, just on for Evans and just outside the box, but his low right-footer hit a Watford leg and the loose ball was cleared as our fans roared the Lads on - you could almost smell an equaliser, but Watford frustrated our attempts. Roberts cut in from the right, like he does, only to see his low effort saved, and Dajaku should really have scored, but clipped his effort from the left beyond the far post.
With three to go and our pressure building, Roberts found Benette in the box, and young Jewison took it in his chest then whacked it home for an equaliser that was no more than we deserved. There were mad celebrations on and off the pitch, a fair number of folks in the home section to our left joined in - some in disguise, some not - and we felt a winner might be in the offing, especially when five added minutes were announced. We tried, but it was a bridge too far and we had to make do with a point. A very well-deserved point.
There was an awful lot to be pleased about from that performance, especially looking at Diallo, Ba, and Benette. They might have been brought in for the future, but their youthful exuberance and quick feet will do very nicely for the present. Well done Tony Mowbray for believing in them.
Man of the Match? The kids Benette, Diallo, and Ba were a breath of fresh air - bit bairns who looked genuinely excited and delighted to be playing first team football. However, for his defensive work in the first half, his goal, and his attacking down the left after the break, it's Alese for me. Another bit bairn rising to the occasion.
Have next week off as a reward, Lads
