Late strike sinks Watford

After Ian Taylor had fired the Rams into the lead with a sensational volley, Marcus Gayle headed the Hornets level, but the visitors went into half-time a man down when new signing Paul Devlin was sent off for a second booking.

Mathias Svensson volleyed the home side ahead again mid-way through the second period, but Watford thought they had nicked a point when substitute Ashley Young followed up Saturday’s debut goal with another tap-in.

Watford boss Ray Lewington perhaps not surprisingly opted to keep faith with the same starting XI that beat Millwall on Saturday. Neal Ardley, available again after serving a one-match ban, was on the bench, along with on-loan keeper Lenny Pidgley.

It was the home side who had the first sniff of an opening after three minutes when Richard Jackson broke down the right and sent over a deep cross, which Junior was unable to hook back across goal. Midfielder Tom Huddlestone then warmed Alec Chamberlain’s gloves with an effort from 25 yards.

The Hornets made a reasonable opening to the contest as well, and fashioned a good opening after 13 minutes when Bruce Dyer won a flick on and Danny Webber struck a first-time angled drive that keeper Andy Oakes had to push away.

However, the visitors were fortunate to escape after 16 minutes. A misplaced defensive header landed on the roof of the net, and from Morris’ resulting corner from the right, Junior beat Chamberlain to the punch, but his header went over off the top of the bar.

But Watford could do nothing about the Rams’ opener one minute later. A Morris free-kick from the left was headed back by Svensson to former Aston Villa midfielder Taylor, who sent a simply sensational controlled volley flying past Chamberlain from 25 yards.

Devlin blotted his first away performance for Watford with a booking on 24 minutes for tripping Luciano Zavagno. Then Derby were reduced to ten men when the unfortunate Michael Jackson collided with an advertising hoarding, and, after around five minutes of treatment, was led away in a neck brace.

While he was off the pitch, Watford did manage to open up the Derby defence, with Devlin sending in a low cross which an under pressure Gavin Mahon put wide of the far post. Then at the other end, a Svensson flick on put Junior in the clear, but Chamberlain parried his powerfully-struck shot from the edge of the area.

With Derby showing no signs of wanting to make a change, Watford pulled level after 37 minutes. Lee Cook curled in a free-kick from the left, and Gayle got in front of his man to head home from inside the six-yard box.

After much deliberating on the sidelines, with Johnson reappearing from the tunnel, Derby finally did decide to make a substitution on 39 minutes, with Gary Caldwell coming on.

But like Saturday at Vicarage Road, the game took a dramatic twist on the stroke of half-time, but this time it was a Watford player who was dismissed. Devlin, having already been booked, continued to snap away at the heels of Zavagno, and he put in one mistimed challenge too many for Mike Dean’s liking and was sent off.

Neil Cox was clearly unhappy with Zavagno’s part in the incident, and, as the players left the pitch for the break, he went to confront the Rams left-back, and had to be pulled away.

And that was to be Zavagno’s last part in the match, because he was replaced by Paul Boertien at the start of the second-half. Down to ten men, Watford opened to start the second period with Webber playing as a lone front man.

The home side looked to make their numerical superiority count from the outset, while the Hornets were soon making a change, bringing on Ardley for Webber, who still looks out of sorts.

Svensson fired over the top after 53 minutes following a good build-up, and a minute later Taylor managed to thread a ball between four opponents and then Junior got in between two more Watford players, but prodded the ball wide when a goal looked odds on.

Svensson headed a Boertein cross over on 64 minutes, and two minutes later Derby made their third and final change, bringing on Lee Holmes for Simo Valakari.

Despite being on the back foot, it was not all one-way traffic, and Cook did come close to connecting with an Ardley cross after Watford Dyer had built down the right. But the Hornets were then opened up, with Morris cutting in off the right to curl a shot wide after being played in by Svensson.

But Watford were undone after 72 minutes when a Boertein overhit cross from the left was sliced by Gayle, and Svensson watched the ball come down before crashing a left-foot hooked volley past Chamberlain from ten yards.

Huddlestone fired wide as Derby looked to make the game safe, before Watford made a double change on 76 minutes, bringing on Scott Fitzgerald and Young for Jamie Hand and Cook, and the change worked to perfection just four minutes later. Ardley found Fitzgerald in space on the right, and his good cross was touched on by Dyer to Young, who like Saturday, was in the right place at the right time to continue his dream start to his professional career.

Cox was booked for a challenge on Holmes after 81 minutes, and from the resulting free-kick, Caldwell won the flick on and Junior nodded narrowly over the top. Then at the other end the Rams defence just stood back and admired as Fitzgerald ran at them at pace, and his low shot was eventually scrambled away by the diving Oakes.

But as Watford were thinking then had just nicked a point, Derby struck with three minutes left. Holmes attacked down the left and sent over a magnificent cross that just cleared the back-stretching Chamberlain, and Junior arrived at the far post to head home from an acute angle.

Frustration got the better of Robinson in the closing stages when he went in late on Morris and was booked.

Derby County: Oakes; Jackson, Mills, Johnson, Zavagno; Valakari, Huddlestone, Taylor, Morris; Junior, Svensson. Substitutes: Caldwell for Johnson after 39 mins; Boertein for Zavagno after 45 mins; Holmes for Valakari after 66 mins; Bolder and Grant not used.

Watford: Chamberlain; Cox, Dyche, Gayle, Robinson; Devlin, Mahon, Hand, Cook; Webber, Dyer. Substitutes: Ardley for Webber after 51 mins; Fitzgerald and Young for Hand and Cook after 76 mins; Doyley and Pigley not used.

Bookings: Devlin for a foul on Zavagno after 24 mins; Devlin for a foul on Zavagno after 45 mins – sent off; Cox for a foul on Holmes after 81 mins; Robinson for a foul on Morris after 90 mins.

Attendance: 18, 459.

Referee: Mike Dean (The Wirral).