The Championship game between Watford and Sheffield United at Vicarage Road on Tuesday Feb 2, 2010.
Watford claimed their first win for two months and, at the same time, poured more doubts over Sheffield United’s claim for a place in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
Goals from Tom Cleverley, Heidar Helguson and Don Cowie ended Watford’s barren seven-match run, which took them five places up the Championship table to 12th – and dealt the visitors their second defeat in four days. Both teams gave debuts to centre-backs with Premier League experience, with Watford introducing former Birmingham defender Martin Taylor while Nyron Nosworthy, formerly of Sunderland, was starting for United for the first time.
The visitors, though were missing Kyle Walker, recalled by Tottenham, while Fulham’s Tony Kallio was signed too late. The early exchanges suggested the omissions did not hinder United, who were quick to discover just why Scott Loach, the Watford goalkeeper, courted so much attention on transfer deadline day.
Tottenham had a £3 million offer for Loach rejected and he added a couple of hundred pounds to his value when, firstly, he tipped a James Harper corner over his cross-bar. And, from a Harper free-kick, the goalkeeper made an impressive reflex save on his line to deny Chris Morgan.
Watford responded immediately, in the 23rd minute, when Heidar Helguson, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, forced Mark Bunn to make a similarly notable one-handed save. And soon afterwards Watford were unfortunate not to take the lead when leading scorer Tom Cleverley, who recently had his loan spell from Manchester United extended, directed a looping free-kick against the right post.
But soon afterwards, in the 39th minute, the Old Trafford starlet took advantage of poor defending when, from Taylor’s long ball, the United defence hesitated with captain Chris Morgan and former Watford forward Darius Henderson allowing Cleverley to beat Bunn to the ball to head his 10th goal for Watford. But in so doing, the midfielder required lengthy treatment after clashing with the goalkeeper.
Soon afterwards, United manager Kevin Blackwell replaced Morgan, his captain, with Jonathan Fortune. And at half time Blackwell made another change with Mark Yeates replacing Jamie Ward, but Watford should have extended their lead in the first minute of the second half.
Another defensive error – Fortune’s miss-placed kick fell straight to Helguson – offered an easy chance but the Icelander hesitated and Bunn was allowed to save but soon afterwards more erratic defending allowed him to add the second, in the 55th minute, when United failed to clear a seemingly harmless forward ball.
Watford (4-5-1): Loach; Mariappa, Taylor, DeMerit, Doyley; Dowie, Lansbury, Jenkins, Eustace, Cleverley; Helguson.
Subs: McGinn, Graham, Harley, Lee (g), Bennett, Hoskins, Bryan.
Sheffield United (4-4-2): Bunn; Geary, Morgan (Fortune 41), Nosworthy, Stewart; Ward, Harper, Montgomery, Quinn; Cresswell, Henderson.
Subs: France, Evans, Yeates, Williamson, Bennett (G), Camara.
Booked: Harper, Quinn.
Referee: K Hill (Herts).
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