Hornets pay price for indecision

9:47pm Tuesday 4th March 2008

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WATFORD are back up into the second automatic promotion spot on goal difference following a 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Vicarage Road tonight (Tuesday) and, incredibly, the top four in the Championship are now separated by as many points.

But unlike Saturday's 2-2 stalemate at Burnley, the Hornets' fourth successive one-point match was very much a case of two dropped, with some far bigger games around the corner.

A home win appeared to be the most likely outcome when Dan Shittu headed in his ninth of the season, but as the second-half wore on Watford slipped into indecisive mode, seemingly unsure whether to stick or twist, and Jamie Cureton punished them with a terrific equaliser.

The Watford boss, who surprised fans in the Rookery by mingling among them beforehand as the snow began to fall, decided against making any changes following Saturday's 2-2 draw at Burnley. This meant captain Jay DeMerit again had to settle for a place on the bench alongside Collins John and Jordan Stewart, who scored what looked like being the winner at Turf Moor.

Having seen his side lose 2-1 at home to Blackpool, former Hornets manager Glenn Roeder decided on four changes to his starting XI. Darren Huckerby was ruled out with a groin injury, but Jon Otsemobor, Cureton and Kieran Gibbs were demoted to the bench. Their places were taken by Juan Velasco, Mo Camara, Matthew Pattison and Ched Evans.

With the weather having deteriorated to near blizzard-like proportions, Watford could have scored inside the opening minute. Following a free-kick, Mariappa rolled the ball to Tommy Smith, who went round Camara and got to the byline before pulling back a low centre which the unmarked Nathan Ellington rather snatched at as he hit it left-footed over the bar.

The first of Leigh Bromby's trademark long throws then caused problems as it was flicked on by Shittu, but landed on the roof of David Marshall's net. But an even better chance came and went for Ellington in the eighth minute. A flick inside from Jobi McAnuff sent the Hornets record signing streaking through on goal, but as he closed in on the target he over-ran the ball, allowing Marshall to block and then the striker was unable to keep the rebound down.

Mariappa and McAnuff then played in a couple of dangerous crosses as Watford continued to pile on the pressure, before Marshall punched a Mat Sadler corner off the head of Darius Henderson. But from the resultant second set-piece, the Hornets got the breakthrough they had been threatening in the 11th minute.

McAnuff swung in the corner from the left and the largely unmarked Shittu rose highest in the six-yard box to firmly plant his ninth goal of a very productive campaign into the back of Marshall's net to make it 1-0.

Having been completely under the cosh, the visitors mustered their first attempt in the 17th minute when Mark Fotheringham hit a tamely-struck half volley at Richard Lee from the edge of the area. But normal service was soon resumed, with John Eustace striking a rising 20-yard piledriver wide of Marshall's right-hand post.

Ellington saw another effort deflected across the penalty area as the game continued to be played almost exclusively in the Canaries half. Next, McAnuff toyed with Velasco on the edge of the area before driving inside and hitting a right-footed shot wide of the near post.

Ellington's fortunes failed to change in the 27th minute when he struck a free-kick into the wall, but the visitors did gain some brief respite when Pattison fired straight at Lee from the right edge of the area.

However, the Hornets almost went 2-0 up in the 36th minute when John-Joe O'Toole cleverly turned away from a challenge before laying the ball off to McAnuff. He took one touch inside before hitting a ferocious drive which Marshall almost misjudged as it hit him on the body and rebounded behind for a corner.

Norwich had their best opportunity of the half four minutes before the interval when a free-kick from the right was diverted into the path of Dion Dublin by Evans, but Lee was right behind the veteran striker's right-footed half-volley from 15 yards.

However, 1-0 was how it stayed as the half-time whistle blew with the home side almost completely in control.

Roeder sent his troops out early for the second period and they responded by creating a good chance in the opening minute. Lee Croft drove inside off the right flank before flighting over a cross which Dublin really should have done better with than head tamely well wide of the target.

The visitors had another opening soon after when Shittu's carelessness allowed Croft to again find Dublin on the edge of the 18-yard box, but this time the striker blazed well over with his right foot.

Watford were soon back on the front foot though, with Ellington seeing a goalbound effort blocked and this led to a corner from which the home should arguably have had a penalty. Shittu failed to make contact with Sadler's set-piece, but as the ball bounced around in the six-yard are and as the big centre-half sought to latch onto the loose ball he appeared to be tugged to the ground.

Croft then forced Lee to go to ground to keep out a 20-yard daisy-cutter and then did well to grab a 25-yard free-kick from Evans at the second attempt that, although it was straight at the Hornets keeper, was very well struck.

Roeder was the first manager to make a change after 61 minutes, bringing on Jason Shackwell for Alex Pearce. Velasco was then rightly cautioned for a thigh-high challenge on Ellington.

By this point though, the nerves were becoming tangible among the Watford fans at their side's failure to score a second, and the home side's cause was not helped in the 72nd minute when Stewart had to replace the injured Sadler.

Norwich made a positive change after 75 minutes by replacing Ryan Bertrand with the more-attack minded Cureton, but Boothroyd's response was to give a debut to John in place of Ellington.

But Watford's indecision over whether to stick or twist was rumbled in spectacular fashion with nine minutes remaining when a Croft cross was met on the half-volley by Cureton from the edge of the area, and Lee could only dive and admire as the ball flew past him to make it 1-1.

Yet Watford were very nearly back in front minutes later in incredible fashion minutes later when John's header across goal was acrobatically diverted towards his own goal by Dublin with a scorpion-like overhead back flick, but Marshall somewhow managed to scramble across to push the ball behind.

John then flung himself at a flick-on from a second corner, but couldn't divert the ball on target, before Pattison was booked for flying into a tackle on Stewart.

Luck favoured the visitors in the first of four minutes of injury-time when O'Toole's goalbound shot was deflected over. Smith and Bromby also had efforts blocked, but Watford's search for a winner was to end fruitless.

To rate the performances of the players against Norwich, click here

Watford: Lee; Mariappa, Bromby, Shittu, Sadler (Stewart, 72); Smith, O'Toole, Eustace, McAnuff; Ellington (John, 75), Henderson. Not used: DeMerit, Williamson and Poom.

Norwich City: Marshall; Velasco, Doherty, Pearce (Shackwell, 61), Camara; Croft (Otsemobor, 88), Fotheringham, Pattison, Bertrand (Cureton, 75); Dublin, Evans. Not used: Gibbs and Gilks.

Bookings: Velasco for a foul on Ellington after 66 mins; Pattison for a foul on Stewart after 86 mins; Eustace for a foul after 90 mins.

Attendance: 16,537.

Referee: Keith Stroud.