Seven out of nine

There have been several games since I posted last but coming from behind to beat Burnley at the Vic, followed by a draw at second-placed West Ham and a victory at Derby's Pride Park has done wonders for our league position. One of our loanees - Alex Kacaniklic from Fulham (the other is ManU's  Tomasz Kuszczak) - got assists for both goals on Saturday and scored the week before that. We've now reached a giddy 14th and another season's safety has been ensured.

Round up and away

After a dismal home performance against Scunthorpe, which we lost 2-0, it was even harder to convince myself to return to Vicarage Road on my birthday and final whole day in the UK for another year or so. Truth is though that this Watford Boy lost his passion for the matches a while before we left in 2008 and the sole reason for my continued attendance is a bit of time with my nephew.

Nevertheless, with the Hornets involved in a “thrilling” 3-2 away defeat (Portsmouth) and having beaten Ipswich at home in a game I did not get to (rain and broken bike stopped play), I was able to put aside the mauling at Derby and hope for a timely gift from the Golden Boys in the match against Nottingham Forest.

Jordan Mutch provided one after three minutes and my optimism held out another quarter of an hour before the Reds equalised. Another dull game finished all square but at least it was not as excruciating as the previous home match. A second “thrilling” 3-2 defeat (at Selhurst Park) since then has seen us slide into thirteenth and though the number may not bode well, most fans would take that as a final position, given a choice.

Eight hours ahead of GMT as I now am, many of the scores for the rest of the season will be looked up after a night’s sleep. This blog has become less a football diary and more a travel journal. Until the younger Watford Boy takes over the match reports, it will remain so. In the meantime, I cross my fingers for today’s trip to Turf Moor and hope for the fans’ sake that we can win a thriller again.

Winning end

After our 3-1 victory over Derby in our final game, WFC finished 13th in the table. Tommy Smith predictably retained his Player of the Season award, Grzegorz Rasiak won Goal of the Season while Lloyd Doyley was players` player. I texted Kerry to see if Joss wanted a season ticket for next year and my reply took the form of photo without text. A picture is worth 1000 words, they say, though in this case maybe just the one.

Who is next year's ...?

Hull City v Watford

Saturday 29^th March

We had drawn our seven previous games but the failure of the other teams at the top to do much better meant that before this match and with a game in hand, winning an automatic promotion place was still in our own hands. Hull have been the form team of late, with wins at Plymouth and West Brom in February and five victories in March, and started above us on goal difference.

When Jun and I got to Sarah and Trevor’s, my brother told me were 2-0 down but when I saw the reports a little later I was heartened by the fact that the Baggies were losing and Bristol City and Stoke were only drawing. Things got worse, however, and after we’d conceded another and Steve Kabba had been sent off, West Brom equalised and then went ahead and the Robins got a winner. By five o’clock we were fifth and five points behind the leaders. Automatic promotion is no longer only down to what we do.

In Premiership news, Derby’s failure to beat Fulham coupled with Birmingham’s win meant the Rams became the first team to be relegated from the Premiership before April Fool’s Day and they look likely to record the worst points total ever, conceivably less than half Watford’s 28-point haul of last season. West Brom, despite glitches, should make automatic promotion. The second place could go to Bristol City, Stoke, Hull or us. The others will be trying to make it to Wembley to win the most lucrative single game of football ever (until next year) and the honour of being the bookies’ favourite to be relegated.

Who will be next year’s Derby? I’d still rather it was us than be in the Championship for another year but many don’t feel the same and a significant number feel we are so bad that the manager should go. One defeat in thirteen is hardly cause for sackings but seven points from the last twenty four feels insufficient for a team hoping for promotion. Nevertheless, I am with the Derby fans: there were more than thirty three thousand people at Pride Park watching two likely-relegated teams play. Loyalty may not be reciprocated by results but that is football.

WFC are a middling club who are punching slightly above their weight. Real fans will be happy about that even if they may also want more...What fan doesn't want more? More goals, more points, more clean sheets, more passing, more inspired substitutions, more tackles, more great signings…Hope is the fans’ life.