Goalless draw moves Hornets another step closer to safety (From Watford Observer)

Goalless draw moves Hornets another step closer to safety

4:59pm Saturday 21st March 2009 in

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Watford were unable to make it eight successive wins over Ipswich Town, but they will be the happier of the two sides with the 0-0 draw at Portman Road that moved them another point closer to Championship status.

The Tractor Boys will feel they deserved the win more and, but for four good saves from Scott Loach, including a top-class effort, they might well have got it. But the visitors also played their part in a reasonably entertaining exchange, with Tommy Smith twice forcing Richard Wright to make fine stops.

The Hornets’ third 0-0 draw of the season means it is now nine matches – and more than five years – since they were beaten by Ipswich.

Brendan Rodgers kept faith with the same side that came so close to earning a well deserved point at Cardiff City in mid-week.

The visitors, with Jobi McAnuff starting on the left and Don Cowie on the opposite flank, started positively and won their first corner inside the opening minute after Jack Cork’s off-target curling effort was deflected behind following good work by McAnuff.

Another opening came and went two minutes later when Cowie found space towards the right and his cross picked out McAnuff, who had pulled off his man, but he headed wide of Richard Wright’s right-hand post from around ten yards.

The home side had their first attempt in the sixth minute when Mike Williamson upended an opponent on the edge of his own D in a fairly central position and, although Ivan Campo got the ball over the wall, he curled it the wrong side of Loach’s near post.

McAnuff and Gareth McAuley then fired wide at either end as the open start to the game continued, before Watford had two opportunities around the 12-minute mark.

First, a good ball down the right by Adrian Mariappa released Tamas Priskin, who cut inside the area before his left-footed effort was blocked, and then a neat lay-off inside from Smith on the edge of the area set up a first-time effort for Cowie, but that also hit an opponent.

However, the Hornets could have been undone in the 15th minute when Jon Stead threatened to get in between Williamson and Lloyd Doyley as he sought to capitalise on a through ball and, although Doyley got in a challenge, the ball only went as far back as the edge of the area, but David Norris hit the follow up over. Stead was also off target with an ambitious half-volley from the right edge of the penalty area moments later.

Ipswich’s useful spell continued with Alan Quinn seeing a shot blocked behind for a corner and, after the same player had taken the set-piece short, the move ended with Tommy Miller looping a header over the top. But the home side suffered a blow in the 26th minute when they lost on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Dos Santos to injury and he was replaced by Danny Haynes.

After the first quiet spell in the game, the Tractor Boys thought they had a case for a penalty in the 31st minute when a Haynes pass into the area appeared to catch Doyley on the arm, but the ball then broke for Norris, who pulled his shot across goal and wide. However, the Ipswich midfielder was much closer with his next attempt – a low, right-footed effort from the edge of the area that went across Loach and narrowly wide of his far post.

And it was the Tractor Boys who had the game’s first on-target attempt in the 37th minute when Stead turned away from Jay DeMerit and cut in on his right, but he didn’t really catch hold of the shot and Loach was able to save comfortably.

But it was Watford who really should have taken the lead a minute later. Smith capitalised on an unforced lapse by Campo and was clean in on goal, but Richard Wright deserved plenty of credit because he had already sensed the danger, was able to close down the Hornets’ top scorer quickly and make the stop to prevent him from netting his 16th of the campaign.

There was a worry for the home side in first-half stoppage-time when DeMerit made a superb challenge on Stead in the area, but sustained an injury to his right leg in the process. The Hornets were able to see out the final stages of the opening half with ten men, but their skipper looked like he may be a doubt for the second half as he limped gingerly around the pitch.

The captain did re-emerge for the second period and he was soon back in the thick of the action, clearing a Haynes cross from the right. But it was quickly apparent that the centre-half was not moving well and a substitution looked increasingly likely.

It arrived after 49 minutes when Gavin Hoyte came on, but not before the Hornets had almost fallen behind. The ball was played into Norris, who found space in the area, but Loach did very well to block his effort and then Mariappa tidied up behind him. However, Watford weren’t able to completely clear their lines and Stead tried his luck with a shot from the left side of the area that went a yard wide of Loach’s near post.

Ipswich made a second change in the 55th minute, bringing on Owen Garvan for Miller, but then it was the visitors chance to get back on the front foot, with Cork playing Smith into the right side of the area, but he pulled the ball behind Priskin after getting to the by-line.

Jim Magilton played his final hand on 59 minutes, with Pim Balkestein replacing David Wright, who appeared to be injured, but then the visitors created another good opportunity when, after good inter-play between Cork and McAnuff, the ball fell for Smith on the edge of the area and Richard Wright did very well to get a hand to his right-footed curler.

Ipswich’s response was almost immediate, with the lively Haynes leading a charge down field before hitting a low shot from the right side of the area that went narrowly wide. Loach was then called into action again to make another fine stop to thwart Norris for a second time. Soon after though, the Hornets keeper required treatment after being fouled in an attempting to claim a catch from a corner.

Watford’s next opportunity came in the 70th minute when Smith laid the ball inside to Cowie, who struck a rising left-footed attempt from 20 yards not far over, but the end-to-end nature of the game continued with Stead seeing an effort blocked behind by Doyley at the other end.

But the home side’s next opening in the 75th minute promised more than it ultimately delivered. Stead did well to roll away from Mariappa and lay the ball inside to Counago, who stepped inside Williamson and Doyley, but then shot tamely at Loach.

The Watford keeper had to be at his best though, two minutes later when he plunged low to his right to keep out Quinn’s shot from 12 yards that was destined for the bottom corner, and soon after he stuck out an instinctive arm to repel a Stead effort from the left side of the area.

The Watford boss decided to make a change with seven minutes remaining, bringing on Will Hoskins for Cowie, and within three minutes of entering the fray the substitute was just unable to get on the end of a McAnuff ball across the six-yard box from the left.

However, the home side were given another opportunity as injury-time loomed when Campo cynically took out Priskin near the edge of the area but the striker’s free-kick was deflected behind off the wall.

Ipswich did have one last opportunity when Stead hit a shot on the turn, but Loach was comfortably behind it and deserved his clean sheet.

Ipswich Town: R Wright; D Wright (Balkestein, 59), McAuley, Campo, Thatcher; Dos Santos (Haynes, 26), Norris, Miller (Garvan, 55), Quinn; Stead, Counago. Not used: Lisbie and Bialkowski.

Watford: Loach; Mariappa, DeMerit (Hoyte, 49), M Williamson, Doyley; Cowie (Hoskins, 83), Jenkins, Cork, McAnuff; Smith; Priskin. Not used: Lee, Cauna and Young.

Bookings: Campo for a foul on Priskin after 88 mins.

Attendance: 21,434.

Referee: Colin Webster.