First away win for Watford

4:53pm Saturday 18th October 2008

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Watford’s away league campaign is up and running at the sixth time of asking after they scored a 3-0 victory at Southampton this afternoon.

But what is a convincing manner in which to claim your first away three points of the season does not begin to tell half of the story of a game that was effectively decided in the first 45 minutes.

The Hornets scored all their goals in this period, courtesy of a Tamas Priskin brace and one for John Eustace, but also saw Richard Lee save not one, but two penalties in the opening 18 minutes.

Aidy Boothroyd made two changes from the side that beat Preston North End 2-1 last time out. Leigh Bromby returned for injured skipper Jay DeMerit, while the fit-again Eustace replaced John-Joe O’Toole.

After a fairly uneventful opening the game sprung to life in the third minute – and it looked like being another shocking start for the Hornets.

The visitors made a complete mess of dealing with a long ball down the middle and David McGoldrick got in between Darren Ward and Bromby and looked to go round Lee, only to be taken out by the Watford keeper.

After the linesman had flagged for a penalty, referee Trevor Kettle spoke to his assistant before surprisingly deciding the offence was only worthy of yellow card. But having survived what would have been a sending off more often than not Lee then dived to his left to comfortably save McGoldrick’s spot-kick, although, in truth it was an awful telegraphed effort from 12 yards.

The nerves continued to be frayed in the visitors’ rearguard, with Adrian Mariappa and then Bromby having to deal with dangerous McGoldrick crosses from the right. In between times, there was more concern for Watford when Tommy Smith went down clutching his groin after appearing to over-stretch for the ball. Thankfully though, he soon recovered.

Having been firmly on the back foot for at least six minutes, Watford struck with their first real attack. Following their first corner Jon Harley swung over a left-footed cross from the right which the Saints defence failed to deal with and, after letting the ball bounce, Priskin stabbed home a left-footed effort from eight yards to make it 1-0.

Eustace picked up Watford’s second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Adam Lallana after 17 minutes before, within 60 seconds, the visitors again did their best to gift the Saints a goal.

This time Mariappa was the guilty party with a barge into the back of Ryan Smith, the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot for a second time, but the end result was, incredibly, the same. Paul Wotton took over spot-kick duties from McGoldrick and went for power, rather than placement, blasting it straight down the middle of the goal, only to see his effort blocked by the legs of Lee.

Watford’s yellow card count kept rising and Lee Williamson picked up number three after 24 minutes for a foul on Andrew Surman, before Harley’s early ball forward momentarily put Priskin in behind the Saints defence, but as he shaped to shoot Olly Lancashire got in a fine challenge.

Yellow card number four arrived for the Hornets two minutes later when Harley was penalised for pulling back Lallana, although by this stage the referee was in danger of losing the plot.

But in the face of adversity, Watford doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark. From the third of three successive corners from the right, Ward met Williamson’s set-piece with a near post header which rebounded back off the crossbar and Eustace followed in to loop a header back over the stranded Kelvin Davis to make it 2-0.

However, the home side should have been back in the game within three minutes when Lallana clipped the ball through to McGoldrick, who looked suspiciously offside, and he in turn lifted it over the on-rushing Lee, only to see his effort slide narrowly wide of the far post.

Watford did their best to hand out yet more defensive presents after 37 minutes when Bromby, instead of opting for the safety of the stands, tried to head the ball back to Lee from an angle near the right touchline that was never really on. The keeper just about managed to prevent a corner but saw the ball rebound off his body and into the path of Jordan Robertson. However, an angle from near the goalline was always likely to be against the Saints striker and so it proved as the ball curled wide of the far post.

But having been let off the hook again, guess what the Hornets did next? Yes, scored.

Their third originated from a Williamson free-kick on the right that he struck to the far post where Mariappa’s header down was partially blocked but there was Priskin to apply the finish with a cheeky right-footed back-heel with five minutes of the half remaining.

McGoldrick picked up Southampton’s first yellow card a minute before the interval following a tussle with Williamson, and two minutes into stoppage-time Lee did well to get down and block a left-footed Surman free-kick from 22 yards after Eustace had been penalised for shirt pulling.

That was it for what was a remarkable first-half in many respects, but there were more surprises during the interval when the Hornets back four reappeared on the pitch with Malky Mackay and other members of the backroom team for what looked to be a crash course in defending. And on the evidence of the opening 45 minutes, it was needed.

Then, just before the restart, Boothroyd gathered all his troops together for a huddle on the pitch and a few last words of encouragement.

The Saints started the second period the better with Robertson not far away from connecting with Lloyd James’ decent ball in from the right, before Ryan Smith cut in off the left flank and around two opponents and then curled a shot from the edge of the area straight at Lee.

Ryan Smith then turned provider on 54 minutes, slipping a fine pass through to Jack Cork, who broke free but was unable to beat Lee with a mis-hit angled attempt from the left side of the area.

However, the Hornets continued to offer a threat on the counter and an early Harley ball forward on 58 minutes give Priskin the chance to get in behind the Saints defence, which he duly did, only to see a well-struck right-footed effort from the right side of the area parried away by Davis.

But the Hungarian really should have been celebrating a hat-trick after 65 minutes when, following a decent spell of possession near the edge of the Saints’ area, Harley lifted the ball through to Priskin who, with only Davis to beat, pulled an effort from ten yards wide of the keeper’s right-hand post.

The home side responded by making their first change, with Jake Thomson coming on for James, but there then followed a period of rare calm before Joseph Mills saw a 25-yard deflected narrowly over with ten minutes remaining.

O’Toole and Liam Henderson were both given the last ten minutes as replacements for Will Hoskins and Priskin respectively, while Lloyd Doyley was also eased back into action in the closing stages.

Before that substitution though, Henderson nearly claimed his first senior goal – battling to shake Wotton off the ball before getting in a left-footed effort which Davis managed to block.

Southampton: Davis; James (Thomson, 65), Lancashire, Wotton, Mills; Cork, Lallana, Surman; McGoldrick, Robertson, R Smith (Pekhart, 83). Not used: Perry, Gillett and Bialkowski.

Watford: Lee; Mariappa (Doyley, 89), Bromby, Ward, Sadler; T Smith, Williamson, Eustace, Harley; Hoskins (O’Toole, 81), Priskin (Henderson, 81). Not used: McAnuff and Tyler.

Bookings: Lee for a foul on McGoldrick after 3 mins; Eustace for a foul on Lallana after 17 mins; Williamson for a foul on Surman after 24 mins; Harley for a foul on Lallana after 26 mins; McGoldrick for a foul on Williamson after 44 mins.

Attendance: 17,454.

Referee: Trevor Kettle.