Watford triumph in hard and thrilling cup-tie

LET'S say it at once - this was a glorious Watford victory. Glorious because the team won on their merits on all counts against the first Division One side to play them in the Cup for ten years. From the time Birmingham kicked-off in a flurry of snow before a 31,500 crowd - only 900 short of the ground record - Watford schemed more openings than the City, and when it came to defence, the Trevor Smith-led rearguard certainly had nothing to teach them.

Watford played so confidently and well that even with Sammy Chung hobbling away the last 20 minutes at centre forward, his right ankle heavily bandaged, they did not look like losing.

In a hard and thrilling game, Watford did more defending than Birmingham, but Linton was so safe and Bell, McNeice and Nicholas so assured in their tackling and kicking that City were allowed few clear-cut chances.

And when Watford moved on to the attack it was with crisp, sure passes carried out with a speed which often had City's defenders on the wrong foot.

Dreaded Harry Hooper blasted in a superb goal six minutes from the end, but by then Watford already had two in the bag, and with Holton doing makeshift duty in Chung's place at left half, their confidence was undimmed.

The first shock came early and in accord with Watford's plan of campaign. Only seven minutes had gone when Schofield harassed by Holton, went up for a Benning cross, fumbled and left Uphill with a gilt-edged chance a yard from goal.

Dennis seized this gift from the football gods with alacrity, and it was perhaps inevitable that his scoring "twin," Cliff Holton, should hit the second goal. Twelve minutes after the restart a Smith clearance went to Barry Hartle, and Barry headed it on to the inside-left position, where Holton swivelled and hammered a tremendous shot past the astonished Schofield.

With Hooper's late success, the score finished respectably enough to partly save Birmingham's face, but it could have been much harsher. Hartle and Uphill both failed in the 15th minute with City's defence all at seas, and the second half was only two minutes old when Benning lifted the ball high over from an impeccable scoring position.

Then it was Holton's turn, for the Watford skipper missed his kick when an Uphill header found him superbly placed.

These were real Birmingham escapes, and it was a measure of Watford's efficiency in defence that City did not get the same chances.

Linton, again in brilliant form, got a point-blank save from Hooper over the bar, and Ken Nicholas saved a Neal header on the line, but Watford were never thrown out of their match-winning rhythm.

Perhaps their greatest moments came in the last 20 minutes of each half, when Birmingham crowded on the pressure. Their defence then was magnificent and a full justification of Manager Ron Burgess's action in changing a winning team by bringing in Bobby Bell.

When Mr Burgess made his bold move a month ago, the Hooper threat was in his mind. Bell justified him to the hilt, playing so well that for the most of the time the dashing winger with the lethal shot was reduced to just one more City player.

He crashed in a magnificent 25 yards goal when the ball came out to him from an Astall corner in the 84th minute, but for most of the game he was curbed by Bell's beautifully timed tackles and interceptions. It was probably the fair-haired Scot's finest performance for Watford, and with Linton, McNeice and Nicholas also in peak form, Birmingham foundered on a solid defensive rock whenever they took up the running.

City never quite looked of Division One calibre. Gordon Astall worked the ball cleverly, but McNeice all but played Stubbs out of the game and Watford's easier-flowing style made them look much more dangerous.

Birmingham's limitations were fully exposed in the last 20 minutes when they were opposed to ten men. Linton had to pull off two good saves and Nicholas came to the rescue on the line as Barrett broke through, but most of City's raids faded out beyond shooting range.

Watford's all-round efficiency probably surprised most of their own supporters. The defence has never been more compact, and even with Freddy Bunce having a poor game, the attack was full of enterprise.

Theirs was a magnificent performance, because this was not a case of Fourth Division brawn beating First Division skill but a triumph of real football.

One mystery still unsolved by the game was Birmingham's action in switching inside-left Bunny Larkin and left-half Dick Neal.

If City had banked on the sturdy Neal giving the attack more punch, they were disappointed, for George Catleugh dealt with him more than adequately.

And although the skilful Larkin had a couple of good cracks at goal, he never impressed as a wing half likely to carry the ball through.

But then, Watford closed their gaps very neatly on this occasion. Holton, playing a splendid captain's role, worked with tremendous fervour, and although Birmingham obviously feared him, they could do little either to cut out his inspiring passes or his majestic individual runs.

And Dennis Uphill, getting little change out of Smith in the middle, still managed to be the perfect foil.

Yes, this was a fine Watford performance and it was no wonder that the big crowd rose to the team as they left the field.

Watford: Linton; Bell; Nicholas; Catleugh; McNeice; Chung; Benning; Holton; Uphill; Hartle; Bunce.

Birmingham: Schofield; Farmer; Allen; Watts; Smith; Larkin; Astall; Barrett; Stubbs; Neal; Hooper.

Referee: Mr A E Moore (Lowestoft).

March 26, 2002 19:00