4:57pm Saturday 8th August 2009
By Anthony Matthews
Watford had to settle for a 1-1 draw from their opening game of the season against Doncaster Rovers at Vicarage Road this afternoon.
The Hornets took the lead in the 27th minute when the visiting defence failed to clear a Don Cowie free-kick from just outside the left of the penalty area, the ball ran through to last season’s top scorer Tommy Smith and his scuffed cross-shot fell perfectly for new boy Danny Graham to continue his hot pre-season form by tapping home from barely two yards out.
But the visitors drew level 11 minutes later when Scott Loach was beaten by an outstanding looping James Hayter header from all of 16 yards out, after the striker had got ahead of Lloyd Doyley to meet a Brian Stock cross.
Both sides went close after the break – Loach did very well to block a Dean Shiels close-range effort on the line, while Smith headed an Adrian Mariappa long throw narrowly wide of the far post – but neither was able to find the net for a second time.
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Watford: Loach; Mariappa, DeMerit, Williamson, Doyley; McAnuff (Hoskins, 76), Jenkins, Severin, Cowie; Graham, Smith. Not used: Harley, Lee, Ellington, Eustace, Bryan and Hodson.
Doncaster Rovers: Sullivan; Chambers, Hird, Lockwood, Roberts; Shiels (Coppinger, 67), Woods, Stock, Spicer (O’Connor, 87); Heffernan (Oster, 74), Hayter. Not used: Guy, Smith, Wilson and Dumbuya.
Bookings: None.
Attendance: 15,636.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick.
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