Watford 2-1 Chesterfield: Dele-Bashiru late winner in FA Cup clash

Tom Dele-Bashiru was the home side's hero, lashing home a shot from inside the area deep into injury time to break the Spireites’ hearts after receiving a pass from debutant Jorge Hurtado.

For 48 uncomfortable minutes of playing time though, Watford had been staring down the barrel of an upset after Joe Quigley had headed the National League leaders in front.

The home side had started promisingly enough – and Ismael Kone should have given them the lead shortly before the visitors struck – but for most of the first half Watford were poor, seemingly thinking they would have enough to progress without operating at full tilt against opponents who had already knocked out Portsmouth and Leyton Orient in this season’s competition.

The hosts did improve after the break and the majority of the game was played in the Chesterfield half, but they struggled to test goalkeeper Ryan Boot unable a good Yaser Asprilla cross was headed inside the near post by substitute Mileta Rajovic.

Watford pushed for a winner but it was the away side who had the best chance of avoiding a replay, with substitute Ryan Colclough heading over from close range, before Dele-Bashiru’s strike at the death.

On the day when Watford paid tribute to the late, great Graham Taylor, Valerien Ismael said ahead of the tie he was going to field a strong side and he was true to his word, naming a starting line-up that showed five changes from the team that began Monday’s exciting 3-3 draw at Plymouth Argyle.

There was no surprise that Daniel Bachmann replaced Ben Hamer in goal, Dele-Bashiru and Francisco Sierralta came in for Ryan Andrews and Ryan Porteous in defence, Asprilla returned in midfield with Edo Kayembe away on AFCON duty and Rhys Healey was given his first start for the Hornets in place of Rajovic.

The Hornets boss had plenty of depth on the bench if required and also included Colombian striker Hurtado among the substitutes for the first time.

Chesterfield travelled to Vicarage Road with the comfort of a seven-point cushion at the top of the National League and boss Paul Cook also decided to make five changes to the team that came from two goals down to beat Solihull Moors 3-2 last time out.

Boot came in for Harry Tyrer in goal, while Liam Mandeville, Ryheem Sheckleford, Quigley and Ollie Banks replaced top scorer Will Grigg, Colclough, Jeff King and Michael Jacobs in goal.

It was important Watford started positively to not give their opponents, backed by a packed and loud Vicarage Road end, any early encouragement and they had the first sight of goal when Jake Livermore chanced his arm with a right-footed shot which Boot was able to pluck out of the air after a dangerous Asprilla run into the area off the right flank.

A much better chance arrived soon after when Asprilla was played through in the area but as he checked back onto his left foot to try and open up a clear sight of goal, Miguel Freckleton did very well to get in a partial block and deflect the ball behind for a corner.

The game settled down after the early attacking flurries, but the Hornets continued to look comfortable and in command, keeping possession and seeking to stretch the visitors when the opportunities arose.

The hosts had a promising situation when Healey was fouled around 30 yards from goal by Ash Palmer and Giorgi Chakvetadze clipped the set piece intelligently to the far post, but the Spireites defence dealt with the threat.

However, there was a moment of alarm for the home side when Armando Dobra was slid in down the left side of the area and Bachmann started to come, only to stop, and Wesley Hoedt had to put the cut back behind for a corner.

That lifted the visitors but they really should have fallen behind in the 25th minute when Kone was quicker to the ball than Freckleton, giving him a clear run on goal, but as he closed in on the target he seemed to get caught in two minds and Boot spread himself to block. The ball rebounded back to Matheus Martins on the edge of the area but the Brazilian was unable to generate enough power on it to send it over the keeper.

Instead of taking the lead, Watford were to find themselves in a distinctly uncomfortable position two minutes later.

Chesterfield built down the right with Mandeville feeding the overlapping Sheckleford on the flank and he sprinted past James Morris to get to the byline and dig out a superb cross and Quigley, who had been booked moments later, was left with a simple header to send one end of the ground into delirium.

The Hornets were rattled but the goal only served to fuel Chesterfield’s confidence, allowing them to grow in assertiveness as they looked the more composed side on the ball for the remainder of the first half.

The card count was evened up in the 38th minute when Kone brought down Tom Naylor after allowing the ball to get away from him, but the visitors were continuing to dominate and Bachmann was forced into a save four minutes later, diving to his right to push away a low Banks drive from the edge of the area.

Banks and Hoedt were both booked as the first half moved into stoppage time after getting involved in a pushing match off the ball, but it was the visitors who went into the break 45 minutes away from causing an upset.

It was no surprise that Ismael made a change at the start of the second half, bringing on Andrews for Kone and moving Dele-Bashiru into midfield.

But within 40 seconds of the restart, the visitors were almost in dreamland when Mandeville again fed Sheckleford on the right and his cross was volleyed towards goal by Banks, forcing Bachmann to instinctively punch clear.

The Hornets then had a good opportunity to at least test Boot when Chakvetadze was fouled on the edge of the area, but Healey tried to be cute and hit the free-kick under the wall, the ball catching a defender and spinning up and back for the keeper to punch clear.

Watford threatened again when a passing move ended with Morris fizzing in a low cross from the left but Healey miscontrolled at the crucial moment and the chance went begging.

The hosts had another free-kick opportunity outside the right angle of the area after Naylor went through the back of Dele-Bashiru, earning him the visitors’ third booking, but Hoedt was unable to get his strike past the wall.

Another chance for the hosts came and went when Healey was set free and although he did not have the pace to get away from Naylor, he laid the ball back to Martins, but the Brazilian screwed his shot badly wide after coming inside.

Although the home side had yet to really test Boot in the second half, they were at least starting to ask some more attacking questions.

The visitors made their first change after 64 minutes when Jacobs replaced Banks but just as Ismael was prepared to make more substitutions three minutes later, Healey was signalling to the bench that he couldn’t continue after his shot had been saved by Boot, although the flag soon went up for offside.

The striker was subsequently replaced by Rajovic, Imran Louza came on for Chakvetadze while Hurtado came on for his debut in place of Martins.

The majority of the game was now being played in the Chesterfield half but the home side were still struggling to find the right key to unlock the organised visiting defence as the match ticked past the 72nd minute as the Vicarage Road faithful chanted and applauded in memory of their greatest ever manager, while Spireites fans honoured their legendary boss John Duncan.

Cook made two more changes two minutes later as Grigg and Colclough replaced Quigley and Dobra, but with their next attack the Hornets were finally able to get back on terms.

Asprilla supplied the cross with a fine left-footed delivery from the left and Rajovic attacked the near post, getting across his man to divert a firm header inside Boot’s near post to make it 1-1.

The Chesterfield keeper was the next player to see yellow for time wasting but his teammates were in no mood to try and settle for the replay.

Indeed, after their manager had been booked – and indulged in some banter with a section of Hornets fans – they missed a golden chance to retake the lead when a deep corner from the left was headed back into the danger zone by Palmer and Colclough headed over the top with the goal at his mercy.

Watford responded with Hurtado playing in a cross from the right side of the area which Louza was unable to get a touch on in the six-yard box before Boot dealt with a Morris shot.

The Hornets continued to push for a winner in the closing stages of normal time with Dele-Bashiru hitting a right-footed drive which Boot dived to his left to save, before a Morris delivery was nodded down by Sierralta but Rajovic didn’t get hold of his shot.

The signalling of six minutes of additional time gave hope that a replay could still be avoided – and in the fifth of those the Hornets found a winner.

A Chesterfield throw on the right was headed back forward to Rajovic, who did well to hold the ball up and take it forward before laying it off to Hurtado. He played the ball back inside to Dele-Bashiru and the midfielder side-stepped inside a challenge before lashing a low finish past Boot to break Chesterfield’s hearts and send the Hornets into the fourth round for the first time since 2019.

While Watford and their fans were able to breath a collective sigh of relief at the final whistle, the Chesterfield players were rightly afforded a standing ovation by their army of 3,984 fans before their efforts were applauded by plenty of Hornets fans who had remained at the end.

Watford: Bachmann; Dele-Bashiru, Sierralta, Hoedt, Morris; Livermore; Asprilla, Chakvetadze (Louza 69), Kone (Andrews 46), Martins (Hurtado 69); Healey (Rajovic 69). Subs not used: Roberts, Porteous, Ince, Pollock, Grieves.

Chesterfield: Boot; Sheckleford, Palmer, Freckleton, Horton; Mandeville (Berry 84), Naylor, Oldaker (Jones 84), Bora; Banks (Jacobs 64), Quigley (Grigg 74). Subs not used: Tyrer, Williams, King, Cook.

Bookings: Quigley (27); Kone (38); Banks (45); Hoedt (45); Naylor (52); Boot (80).

Attendance: 15,932 (3,984 Chesterfield fans).

Referee: Gavin Ward