Sport: Local and national sport in and around Watford - Watford Observer

Bristol City vs Watford

• Kick off: 3:00pm Mon 28 Dec 09
• Referee: James Linington
• Venue: Ashton Gate

Final score:

Bristol City 2 - 1 Watford

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93:00: Goal! Watford equalise at the death. A corner is not cleared and Helguson knocks the ball down into the six yard box and Eustace bundled the ball home

92:00: Cleverley smashes a volley goalwards and it is deflected over

91:00: Henderson and Graham through two on two but Henderson's pass is blocked and the resulting corner is cleared

89:00: Substitution Saborio for Maynard

88:00: Graham this time forces Gerken into a save with his feet. Bristol then went up the other end and it was Loach who this time saved with his feet from Sproule

87:00: Henderson has a shot saved.

86:00: Substitution Sproule for Haynes and Henderson for Hodson

83:00: Hartley's free kick this time is a couple of yards wide of the post

82:00: Yellow card Eustace booked for a foul on Maynard

80:00: Helguson had the ball in the back of the net again and once again it was disallowed. This time for a foul on the keeper

79:00: A minute of constant attacking and pressure still didn't result in a goal for Watford. Elliott makes a last-ditch challenge as Cleverley was set to shot and Cowie volleyed wide

78:00: Doyley beat Orr to burst into the box and pulled the ball back to Graham but a defender recovered in time just as he was set to pull the trigger

73:00: Substitution Harley for the injured Lansbury

72:00: Attendance 16,035. With 983 Watford fans making the trip

71:00: Cleverley's free kick is galnced wide by Graham

70:00: Substitution Fontaine comes on for Clarkson following Nyatanga's red card

69:00: Red card Nyatanga is sent off for a second bookable offence after a foul on Lansbury

68:00: Carey misses the ball as he tries to clear leaving Helguson free to run through on goal but the ball gets stuck behind him and by the time he gets his shot away, the keeper is able to parry the ball away

66:00: Gerken mishits a clearance to Graham and the striker volleys from 35 yards and it beats the keeper only to hit the side of the post

65:00: Maynard has a tame header saved by Loach

62:00: Loach makes a great save with his feet from a shot by Maynard ten yards out

61:00: Cleverley is unable to test Gerkin as he scuffs a volley wide

59:00: Gerkin makes a great double save. First he denies Cowie after an excellent volley from distance and then he manages to scramble across the goal and palm Graham's rebound away. Graham was adjudged to be offside but Gerkin did not know that at the time

58:00: Lansbury has a shot at goal this time from a free kick 20 yards out but it hits the wall

56:00: Orr almost cost his side a goal when he passed back to his keeper despite Graham being five yards away from Gerken

55:00: Lansbury worked the space to shot from ten yards but it was comfortably over

54:00: Bristol have started the better in the second half and McAllister will know he should have done better with a 25 yard shot which went well over

50:00: Bristol almost went 3-1 up then when DeMerit failed to clear and Clarkson slotted past Loach only to be ruled offside

45:00: Goal! In first half injury time, Cleverley gives away a free kick 25 yards out and Hartley's free kick was exceptionally looped over Loach and in off the bar

43:00: Goal! Watford equalise through Tom Cleverley. The ball fell to him on the corner of the box and he fired in a low drive into the corner of the box

42:00: Cleverley's free kick is cleared

41:00: Nyatanga is booked for a foul on Lansbury

39:00: Haynes cross is just too long for Clarkson.

38:00: Goal! After surviving a scare moments before, Bristol City take the lead. A Clarkson cross is not cleared. Hodson blocks one shot but then Haynes fires in a crisp strike into the top corner

36:00: Watford thought they had gone 1-0 up when a Cleverley free kick was flicked on byy Graham and Helguson volleyed into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box

34:00: Lansbury slips Graham through again but the striker's low cross is cut out. Cowie is brought down on the edge of the box but his cross doesn't beat the first man

33:00: A moment of shambolic defending from Watford, where three players were unable to clear a Hartley cross, amounts to nothing

32:00: Watford have a penalty appeal turned down when Carey goes through the back of Eustace to win a header at a Hodson cross

32:00: Watford have a penalty appeal turned down when Carey goes through the back of Eustace to win a header at a Hodson cross

27:00: A long throw by Mariappa is flicked on by Helguson and then Cleverley but Graham is unable to get on the end of it before Gerken claims

24:00: Elliott's shot is blocked and then Clarkson fires wide from 20 yards

23:00: Helguson is unable to make decent contact with Doyley's left-footed cross and the keeper easily gathers

22:00: Cleverley's 30 yard free kick is skied well over

22:00: Yellow card Orr booked for a late challenge on Cleverley

19:00: Carey jumps highest at Hartley's corner but couldn't keep his effort down

17:00: Lansbury slips Graham into the box but his shot is deflected wide for a corner and although Helguson wins the initial header, it is cleared

14:00: Helguson is down after he flicked on a Cowie cross and seemed to be caught with the defender's elbow

13:00: Hartley sends in a low cross which is cut out by Loach

12:00: Lansbury breaks from midfield and shoots from distance and although the keeper fumbles the ball, he should have passed to the free Cowie on the right of him

8:00: A long ball to Helguson is flicked on by the striker and he almost gets on the end of it before Gerkin half clears

7:00: Yellow card Lansbury is booked for coming back on to the pitch without the referees permission after intercepting a pass

6:00: A Hodson cross picks out Graham but the defender manages to head out for a corner. Cowie plays it short and gets the ball back. His cross is collected by Gerkin

2:00: Bristol went straight up the other end and Doyley could only clear into the path of Maynard, who passed to Clarkson but he sliced his shot wide and over

1:00: Watford break quickly as Hodson bombs on and sends in a decent cross but Graham was unable to get on the end of it and Gerken gathered

0:00: Watford name an unchanged line-up for this afternoon's Championship clash with Bristol City. Henri Lansbury and Don Cowie received knocks in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest but both have recovered in time. Ross Jenkins is still out following back surgery and Nathan Ellington is unavailable ahead of his move to Greek side Skoda Xanthi on Friday. Both sides are having a bad patch at present with Watford winning just once in six matches and City one in nine. Bristol City: Gerken; Orr, Nyatanga, Carey, McAllister; Hartley, Skuse, Elliott, Haynes; Clarkson, Maynard. Substitutes: Fontaine, Sproule, Artus, Kington, Edwards, Henderson, Saborio. Watford: Loach; Hodson, Mariappa, DeMerit, Doyley; Cowie, Lansbury, Eustace, Cleverley; Graham, Helguson. Substitutes: Severin, Harley, Lee, Bennett, Hoskins, Henderson, Sadler.