Spurs, smarting from the fact they lost out to the Hornets the previous season, once again came to Vicarage Road ready to battle for the right to play.

They did this and with a superb strike from Glen Hoddle, won the day as well.

It became something of a needle between Watford and their north-London rivals. The Hornets fared much better against Arsenal than against Spurs, but even then Watford had their moments.

Oliver Phillips

From The Watford Observer.

Watford 2 (Rostron 12, Callaghan 90) Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Hoddle 56, Archibald 84, Hughton 88)

Watford:Sherwood, Palmer, Terry, Jackett, Sinnott, Jobson, Lohman, Callaghan, Barnes, Reilly, Rostron, Substitute: Gilligan for Reilly after 45 minutes.

Spurs: Clemence, Hughton, Galvin, Roberts, Stevens, Perryman, Mabbutt, Falco, Brazil, Hoddle, Brooke, Substitute: Archibald for Brooke after 67 minutes.

A MEDIOCRE exchange, blighted by abysmal refereeing was rocketed into the ranks of the more memorable Vicarage Road encounters by goals of stunning brilliance on Saturday.

Ultimately the class and determination of Tottenham proved to be too much for the Watford mixture of enthusiasm, inexperience and promise as first Glenn Hoddle and then Steve Archibald unlocked the gates to victory with outstanding goals.

Spurs came to Watford ready to scrap and fight in much the same way as they approached last season's fixture. But whereas last time round they paraded a team of lesser known, on this occasion they included their stars who, after finally realising they had to match the Hornets commitment, found that they had then won themselves a platform from which to display their skills.

"It can't be a bad thing if we make the likes of Glenn Hoddle play", said Graham Taylor after the game.

And it was Hoddle who opened up the Watford defence with a goal which won him fresh support and publicity for a place in the England side but for the Watford cause the most significant event of the afternoon could well have been the departure of George Reilly.

Was it just coincidence that Spurs having been outfought in the first half, went on top after the break when the Hornets had to leave Reilly behind in the dressing room? Certainly Graham Roberts and Gary Stevens had more to say in matters after the break as they were able to think more of contributing to their own attack than just cutting out the threat from the big Watford striker.

Spurs deserved their win in the end because they made more of their period of superiority than had Watford in the first half. The Hornets made nine goal attempts throughout the game - hardly a sufficient number for a home display and Reilly's absence was certainly noted.

If his departure was a turning point for Watford, the seal was set by Jan Lohman's miss early in the second half. Had Lohman converted the second best chance to fall to the Hornets that afternoon, then Spurs may well have found two goals too much to pull back.

Of course there were other contributions - notably those of the referee who allowed it to become a bruising affair from his pathetically lax attitude at the start. Where indeed do they get them from? Last week's referee at Stoke was pretty incredible but his performance was matched by Mr Challinor's first-ever visit to take charge of a match at Vicarage Road.

Perhaps football is suffering from a backlash. The referees who, in past years, were encouraged to come down heavily on the cheats and cowboys are now following the FIFA-enforced peace, taking a lower profile. The impression gained from watching league matches is that the referees are, by their soft approach handing the game back to the cloggers.

There were also some weird and wonderful decisions - not least the failure to accord Wilf Rostron a free kick when professionally obstructed by Steve Perryman in the second half. Instead the referee gave the free kick to Perryman and later Rostron's frustration hurled Perryman to the ground.

Dissent at a decision earned Roberts a booking in the 70th minute; yet an hour of steady clogging had gone by without the referee reaching for his book. On the plus side Mr Challinor seemed anything but a "homer" but, that apart, there was nothing to commend in his display.

For Watford, the most encouraging aspect to emerge from the game was the performance of Lee Sinnott at left back. He looked a class player with skill, strength and a mature understanding of a role which belied his 18 years.

Twice Sinnott showed his pace, overhauling an escaping Tottenham forward, dispossessing him and then switching to attack with amazing simplicity.

Elsewhere in the defence things were not so calm. Steve Terry had a useful afternoon but Kenny Jackett coping well with Alan Brazil in the first half, found him an increasing handful after the break.

In midfield, Lohman finally lost out to Hoddle and Jobson struggled to really assert himself, showing flashes of individual skills but tending to show his inexperience in other situations. And up front, Wilf Rostron had more success than most. John Barnes looked as if he had only passed a fitness test by the skin of his teeth while Nigel Callaghan was not provided with a decent service - a problem that has become increasingly apparent this season.

Spurs opened the game with a few salvos from Mark Falco - an overhead kick, a shot and a header gave Watford cause for concern so if anything it was slightly against the run of play when Watford took the lead.

Sinnott unwound a long throw towards Barnes who trapped the ball with Stevens adrift behind him. Barnes went to play the ball inside to Rostron and Stevens, in attempting to clear, miskicked the ball into the winger's path. Roberts moved into a scything tackle which Rostron rode, stumbling through the last movement and then appearing to push the ball too far forward. Clemence came out but Rostron was there first to deftly clip it left footed past the goalkeeper to give the Hornets a 12th minute lead.

Spurs suddenly looked very vulnerable. Terry sent an overhead kick cross the face of the goal and Reilly back headed a corner along the goal line with Watford unable to provide the final touch.

Then, in Watford's best move of the half, Jobson plied Callaghan with a pass and the winger promptly hit a perfect reverse ball to Palmer. The full back pulled it inside where again Barnes' touch just deserted him. Perryman had time to close him down and then rise to block from Jobson when the Watford man seized on the rebound.

In the 25th minute Hoddle sent an angled shot wide and just before the interval Brazil looked likely to equalise but Jackett, recovering well, did enough to put the striker off his final shot.

All this was completed against a background of fouls and peculiar decisions by the referee. No clear pattern had emerged but Watford had shaded the half.

Early in the second half Rostron was baulked by Perryman so professionally that the referee thought it was part of the nature of things. A free kick and not a penalty would be the probable outcome had the referee acted properly, but the official was later wise to turn down a vast appeal from the terraces for handball against Hoddle.

Television proved the referee was right and, in fairness, he had no such aid at the time.

Perhaps the pass of the match came from Brazil in the 52nd minute when he cut the Watford defence with a 30-yard pass which played Mabbutt in. Sherwood came out and challenged and the ball bounced harmlessly wide of the target with Terry cleaning up - but it was a close call.

At the other end, Watford had their best chance of the half when a Callaghan corner was flicked on towards the far post where Lohman, inside the six yard box, swept the ball over the bar. It was a crucial miss as events proved for Watford were unable to carve many chances on the afternoon.

Spurs growing authority started to open up gaps. Brazil turned and twisted to lose Jackett and then sent a shot which Sherwood managed to deflect off target. Again the video suggests that the shot may not have found the target but that is academic.

The point was that Spurs were finding the space and working the openings, so when Hoddle broke through in the 56th minute there could be no complaints. The midfield man was given the ball by Brooke who slotted it through a group of players and Hoddle lost marker Lohman with a feint and a back heel which put him in space on the right.

With scarcely a glance, he chipped the ball superbly towards the far post, over Sherwood's head and into the back of the net from 22 yards out.

A few minutes later Jackett lost out to Brazil as they chased a long pass but Sherwood stood up well and Brazil's shot went off his legs and wide. Later Brazil was said to have sent his shot "against Sherwood" a further indication of the snob values that exist in soccer. Had Pat Jennings made the save, he would have been described as "spreading himself well." But instead the ball just "hit Steve Sherwood".

"He did well to remain on his feet. Had he dived the ball might well have gone under him", said Taylor.

In the 67th minute Archibald replaced the tiring Brooke. By then Rostron had been booked for a foul and Roberts for dissent while Perryman finally made the book for a foul on Barnes which also cost the Hornets a promising opening. The ball had been squared into the Tottenham penalty area in a threatening attack when the referee saw the linesman flagging for Perryman's foul.

But Spurs continued to look the better side with Falco going close after good work by Hoddle and Brazil but in the 84th minute another superlative goal gave the visitors the lead they deserved. Archibald moved in from the left and sent a 20-yard shot looping over Sherwood with great power and pace. The shot came out of the blue and one could not see the Hornets coming back after that blow.

Four minutes later Archibald played the ball through to Hughton who stretched to bring it inside the already committed Palmer and he was left with the simple task of slotting past Sherwood.

There could be no contesting Spurs' right to the points just a there could be no contesting Watford's right to a penalty. Barnes went inside from the left and left Roberts whose lunge caught the Watford striker's back foot and left even this referee with no alternative. Callaghan dispatched the penalty without fuss to bring the game to a close.

January 22, 2002 10:00