Watford v Leicester City
Tuesday 12th February
Had to walk from the Junction to the stadium via the pub cos I can’t take the bike on the train. Joss was in before I got there and I joined him with programmes and finally returned his Simpsons Movie DVD. Tommy Smith missed his first game of the season (knee) and Captain America is still out injured. The new boys: Mat Sadler, John Eustace and Leigh Bromby all started; Collins John (from Fulham on loan) is yet to get fit.
We started well and the Rookery picked up where it left off ten days ago. Shooting towards the Vicarage Road end, we kept their keeper busy and he looked good for it. They hardly had a chance down our end until about the fortieth minute. Last man Adrian Mariappa made a hash of a ball by committing himself too early and it was past him and being chased by two on two. Steven Clemence, who was by no means certain to get the ball, pulled up indicating he’d been tugged from behind by John Joe O’Toole, our Irish international, and did a whole dance (no song) when the ref gave nothing. I started off a “drama queen” chant but it didn’t last long as the assistant referee summoned the ref over and after a lengthy consultation, JJ was red carded and the Foxes had a free-kick twenty yards out.
Fortunately the free-kick came to nothing but the Yellow Army responded well to the injustice (Bromby was a covering and therefore JJ was not the last man) and after a few expected “You’ve only got twelve men” chants, started into the whole repertoire. Within a few minutes, however, songs gave way to cheers as Darius Henderson poked in a Bromby cross-shot and the ten men went in one up at the break.
The second half was all about the noise the Yellow Army brought. We didn’t stop and even the middle of the Rookery, and parts of the East Stand and Rous were getting involved. Fortunately, the intended effect came to pass rather than the Watford players just stopping in amazement on hearing positive noise from the stands on the side of the pitch. Against constant pressure but no real chances, we held out for all three points and there was a massive celebration at the end. Henderson ran his legs off closing things down from the front and is definitely our post-King hero.
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