Barnsley pegged back by Smith's 16th of season (From Watford Observer)

Barnsley pegged back by Smith's 16th of season

5:00pm Saturday 11th April 2009

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Watford extended their unbeaten league run at Vicarage Road to seven games and moved another step closer to mathematical safety as a late Tommy Smith goal earned a 1-1 draw at home to Barnsley at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

The Hornets were again below-par and it looked like Jonathan Macken’s goal midway through the second half would be enough to secure the Tykes a potentially priceless win.

But with two minutes remaining, Will Hoskins managed to prize open the defence following a free-kick and Smith was in the right place to net his 16th of the campaign.

That was Watford’s first on-target attempt of the match although, given the way recent games have gone, it made a pleasant change for the Hornets to score late and not the opposition.

Despite the disappointment of being pegged back in the last minute by Southampton in mid-week, Brendan Rodgers opted to name an unchanged starting line-up.

It was the visitors who sought to make the early running, and they had the first opening inside two minutes when a long Rob Kozluk free-kick was held up by Darren Moore in the Hornets’ area and Jobi McAnuff’s attempted clearance rebounded up to Michael Mifsud, but his header was tamely deflected through to Scott Loach from ten yards.

Watford were soon on the attack though, with McAnuff and Aleksandrs Cauna both seeing shots blocked, before Jamal Campbell-Ryce lashed wide at the other end following another Barnsley free-kick.

But the Hornets should have done better with a move put together after 15 minutes. Adrian Mariappa played the ball down the inside right channel to Tamas Priskin, who cut back into the area on his left foot before laying the ball into the stride of the onrushing Ross Jenkins, but he appeared to lose his footing at the key moment and skied a right-footed effort over Heinz Muller’s goal.

The visitors continued to give as good as they got and Campbell-Ryce latched onto a loose touch to open up a shooting opportunity on his right foot, but fired straight at Loach from 20 yards.

But it was the Hornets who came within inches of taking the lead in the 22nd minute, starting with a clearance from Loach that went through Cork and McAnuff and ended with Jenkins feeding Priskin, who struck an early right-footed shot from the edge of the area that beat the dive of Muller, but clipped the outside of his right-hand post.

It was then Barnsley’s turn to hit the woodwork, albeit in more speculative fashion, with Bobby Hassell hitting a cross-cum-shot from the right that appeared to deceive Loach as it bounced down off his crossbar.

The end-to-end nature of the exchanges continued, with Muller charging from his line to deny Priskin, before McAnuff fizzed a low centre across the six-yard box that nobody in a yellow shirt was able to get a boot on.

Almost predictably though, the next chance fell to the Tykes, with Anderson De Silva getting in front of Smith to get his head to Andranik’s corner from the left, but his attempt flashed wide of Loach’s right-hand post.

Watford then had some reasonable possession, without being able to create too much, until the 37th minute when Cauna did well to get in a low cross from the by-line towards the near post where McAnuff got across, but Stephen Foster tracked him well to concede the corner.

But that was it for a first-half in which the Hornets had their moments, but rarely threatened to take charge of affairs.

Like in the first-half, it was the Tykes who had the first chance of the second period when Macken fed Bogdanovic on the right and the ball was inadvertently turned towards his own goal by the otherwise excellent Jay DeMerit, and Loach did very well to keep it out. However, it wouldn’t have counted because play was belatedly pulled back for an offside.

Davey was the first manager to play his hand in the 56th minute, bringing on Adam Hammill for Bogdanovic. This prompted an angry reaction from the visiting faithful, who had presumably failed to notice that their right-sided midfielder was limping.

Rodgers quickly followed suit, replacing Cauna, who hadn’t done too much wrong, with Danny Rose, and on 63 minutes Priskin made way for Hoskins.

But four minutes later, Barnsley took the lead – and it was hard to argue against them deserving it.

Mifsud received the ball in the right-corner and laid it back to Hammill, who twisted and turned, before swinging a cross into the six-yard box where Macken took advantage of the ball-watching Hornets rearguard to steer the ball home from close range.

And the former Manchester City striker could have made it two moments later, when a poor Williamson clearance fell to him on the edge of the area, but he fired over.

The Hornets, who had not had a goal attempt since Priskin struck the post, continued to struggle to anything going forward, although with just over ten minutes remaining Smith did get to the by-line, but he was unable to pick out a team-mate with his cross.

Kayode Odejayi then replaced Mifsud, who took so long to leave the pitch he was booked as he departed, and within moments of entering the fray the substitute would have scored had it not been for a fine stop from Loach.

Hugo Colace came on for Macken with two minutes left as Watford were preparing to take a set-piece with three minutes remaining, and from it they pulled level.

Barnsley failed to deal with the ball into the box, Hoskins did very well to get the ball away from Muller and then pull it back across the six-yard box and there was Smith to bundle in his 16th of the season to make it 1-1.

Watford: Loach; Mariappa, DeMerit, M Williamson, Doyley; McAnuff, Jenkins, Cork, Cauna (Rose, 58); Smith; Priskin (Hoskins, 63). Not used: Harley; Lee and Stepanov.

Barnsley: Muller; Hassell, Foster, Moore, Kozluk; Andranik, De Silva, Campbell-Ryce; Bogdanovic (Hammill, 56), Macken (Colace, 87), Mifsud (Odejayi, 81). Not used: Souza Guedes and Devaney.

Bookings: Mifsud for time-wasting after 81 mins.

Attendance: 16,052.

Referee: Dean Whitestone.

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