So 700 Alex fans went to Watford in hope, more than anything, that the team would improve but deep down everyone knew it was going to be the same old shower. It was the usual set of players warming up on the pitch with Ben Williams particularly impressing the crowd with a string of fine saves from Bankole’s warm up shots.
The started 11 threw just the one ‘surprise’ with Justin Cochrane being dropped to the bench, instead of Sorvel, to make way for Dave Brammer. Steve Jones, as expected, stayed on the bench.
Williams
Wright - Foster - Moses - B.Jones
Lunt - Sorvel - Brammer - Vaughan
Ashton - Hignett
Same Old
The game was boring. You get excited, you believe this is the game where we’ll turn it on and you get behind the team but they emerge from that tunnel and disappoint you for the umpteenth time. Sloppy passing and poor off the ball play led to defensive mix ups but neither team showed any worthy form.
I’m getting bored of it, why do I get my hopes up we’ll play half decent football once in a while? The defence sat back and allowed the pressure onto them, Watford attacked in 5’s and 6’s so were susceptible to the odd quick break away but we simply weren’t going for the ball. Infact, when the ball is taken from the opposition we hoof it, and the times we do get it to the feet of Dean Ashton no-one is quick enough to support him.
I loved to see Dave Brammer back in the midfield. You tend to think he may be over hyped when he’s out injured but when he’s on that field, he’s from from it. Some passion from someone, at last (Ok, tad harsh on Cochrane there). He was going round in circles covering every blade of grass and getting into the tangles that no other pllayer dares to.
Early signs showed a good under standing between Brams and Hignett but I was wrong, Hignett is still the useless in need of a kick up the back side he was last week. Other early signs were that Watford were going to dominate this match. The amount of battlers in their midfield out numbered ours 4 to 1, they were doubling up on us to get the tackles in whilst Brams did all the doggy work.
Sh*t, I mean shoot!
Chances weren’t easy to come by, I complain about our defence but they are quite tight at times. The first threatening ball was about 15 minutes in when a high cross was headed down by a Watford attacker and it bounced around a bit before a long range shot was shepherded out by Dean Ashton and Dave Wright.
The first shot on target was after David Vaughan got booked for a late tackle on Micah Hyde. Twenty-five minutes in saw a shot from Ppaul Mayo from the edge of the area and it went through a couple of Crewe defenders before, our saviour, Ben Williams saw it late and got to the floor, full stretch, to get the slightest of hands to turn it round the left post for a corner.
It gave the Hornets the lift they needed and within five minutes took the deserved lead through Micah Hyde. Cook fired a shot, from the edge of the area, straight at Foster but the ricochet fell straight to Hyde, also on the edge of the box, as he hit and hope but he had hit it into the bottom right corner with Williams seeing it too late to do anything about it.
We woke up; but we woke up drowsy so nodded off again which gave Watford the incentive to go ahead looking for more goals. Heider Helguson sent a looping header just wide of the left post from a corner and Paul Devlin sent a hard shot skimming the crossbar, although Williams looked like he knew it was always going over it was too close for comfort for the fans.
Before half time Stevie Jones, who replaced David Vaughan on the 40th minute for some unknown reason, could have equalised. In the 46th minute, he raced free down the centre of the Watford half and into the box and from the left of the box poked the ball past Alec Chamberlain in goal but the ball bobbled inches past the right post.
Get out of jail free cards
The second half was a tad livelier. Crewe attacked the stand with the away fans in it, not literally of course, whilst the only decent view of the action at the other end was on a big screen to our left. On the 57th minute it was Crewe who had the first chance of the half with a volleyed shot from the edge of the area that curled into the arms of the ‘keeper.
This, for the first time in the hour, gave us something to build on and with Jonah’s pacey threat down the left you never knew what would happen. Jones was taking the piss on the hour mark a he took it down the left and inside the box, he tried to shimmy around Cook but as he got away from him Cook stuck out a foot and brough Jones down.
The ref pointed to the spot, Watford delayed the penalty for a few minutes till Dean Ashton stroked the ball into the bottom right corner. It wasn’t a goal we deserved, at all, but scrapping a point would have pleased fans enough. However, as quickly as we scored Watford had gone back ahead through a freak goal.
From kick off Watford broke down the centre with three-on-three. Fitzgerald was found free just to the left and he ran into the box and poked the ball under Williams, Foster did get back to clear off the line but David Wright came storming in and he chested the ball, without much intention, into the back of the net. Less than two minutes after equalising it was oh-so typical Crewe.
We were still struggling to look like a team who wanted to win the game and whilst Craig Hignett curled a 25 yard shot into the arms of the keeper there was still no threatening play from anyone but Steve Jones. Jones countless times threw crosses across the face of the goal but there was either no one there or they were all bunched together with no anticipation.
Jones took it upon himself to create his own chances and twice cut in from the left to force the keeper to parry out after shots from a tight angle. The midfield and defence weren’t then orginised enough to create chances and stop Watford going forward. Watford broke again and again with our defence looking shoddy as they backed off in their fours. It nearly cost us dear when a gap opened up for Helguson and he ran clear on goal, with Foster try to catch him, Williams closed Helguson down when he got to the edge of the area but Helguson fired a powerful shot for Williams to palm up, onto the crossbar and over.
Brammer, looking tired, was replaced by Cochrane and Hignett went off to a series of ironic cheers as he was replaced by Symes but the last ten minutes were Crewe trying and failing to find a decent opening. Symes showed good vision to lay the ball off several times and seemed to work well with Ashton and Jones but it was all in vain as Watford put every man behind the ball and scrapped it out.
Lunt wasted a last minute free kick from 25 yards, it was his perfect position to shoot but he went for the cross and it flew over everyone and into the hands of the keeper. Bouazza nearly wrapped it up three minutes from time for Watford as he hit Crewe on the break down the left but as he shot from inside the area Williams got down to the ground well to palm the ball into his possession at full stretch.
Boring
For the first time in ages I wasn’t upset or angry at the defeat, more bored at it. The team aren’t showing the fight that they want to be in this division next season and are just plain sloppy. They can play like that if they want but until they buck up and get the effort in again they won’t be getting the sympathy, or excuses, that they had in much of January and February.
The game on Monday maybe a blessing in disguise, it’s forcing Dario to change the team around and if we put players hungry to play then maybe we’ll see effort, we’ll see attacking passing football and we’ll see a win. The usual names are being branded about in Lunt, Hignett and Sorvel but it’s easy to make scape goats at this stage of the season. I’m not saying them players are play half well but they certainly aren’t the making of our problems like some want to believe.
The whole team were terrible with the exception of Williams and Jones. The fans at Watford gave their protest with few actually clapping the team off, although there were no boos, with only Williams getting a big ovation from fans as he came over to thank the fans.
Player Ratings
Williams - 8 - Crucial saves that could have seen it 4 or 5-1 at times.
B.Jones - 6 - Average
Foster - 6 - Average
Moses - 6 - Average
Wright - 6 - Average
Vaughan - 6 - Looked ok till he went off, attacked with promise as usual but certainly not his greatest game
Sorvel - 5 - Got stuck in but never helped us going forward.
Brammer - 7 - Excellent to see him back. Ok, not the greatest of games with some passing going astray but gave 101% till he was taken off and was the only one who gave Watford trouble.
Lunt - 5 - A game of nothingness for Lunt. Hardly noticed him.
Ashton - 6 - He’s got a really bad job upfront, with no balls getting to him he’s starting to take refuge at left back at the moment.
Hignett - 5 - He’s a legend and all that but he should go back to Leicester for his own good. Not good to look clueless and passionless at your old club.