BLACKWELL RUES UNLUCKY HULSE'S MISS
Sporting Life
Watford 0 Leeds 0
Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell considered it "amazing" that his side left Watford with just a point.
The teams both go into the international break at the right end of the Championship table, but a
goalless stalemate was the outcome at Vicarage Road.
The chance of the match fell to Rob Hulse, a hat-trick hero for Leeds in midweek, but his shot bounced off one post onto the other and rolled along the line before being cleared.
Blackwell said: "To come away from home and keep a clean sheet, that's the first aim, but to hit the posts on both sides and for it not to cross the line, that's amazing, that's a freak of nature.
"But two teams that are close together, neither of us are going to give anything away.
"It was a hard-fought game and it was a battle more than anything else, there wasn't a lot of great football and it is a case of making sure we go home having not got beaten.
"That's our seventh clean sheet out of 11 games now so we know we're defensively quite solid. People can talk about the pace of our back four but they had quick lads and they never really caused us a problem in terms of that."
Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd, who worked under Blackwell before being given his chance by the Hornets, said: "We went out to win the game and I think Leeds are the happier team going away with the point.
"I am certainly a bit disappointed we didn't win it, but all in all we are picking up points with key players out and we have got to be pleased with that."
Watford were without injured strikers Marlon King and Darius Henderson.
Boothroyd was asked if he shared a similar tactical outlook on the game as Blackwell and replied: "I like to win football matches, I like to entertain.
"I like to play with pace and I like people to go home with a smile on their face and have something to talk about.
"I think we have got a lot of quicker players, so tactically they had to defend deep because if they had played any higher we would have got in behind them."
The chance which almost yielded a goal for Hulse came about after Robbie Blake dispossessed Malky Mackay and fed his strike partner, with Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster relieved to see the ball stay out.
Foster then did well to hold Blake's 25-yard low free-kick just before the interval, and chances continued to be at a real premium in the second half.
Substitute Danny Pugh sent a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the Watford area not far wide.Watford's Ashley Young also forced Neil Sullivan into a smart save at his near post, but neither side possessed much thrust in the final third.
Sporting Life
Watford 0 Leeds 0
Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell considered it "amazing" that his side left Watford with just a point.
The teams both go into the international break at the right end of the Championship table, but a
goalless stalemate was the outcome at Vicarage Road.The chance of the match fell to Rob Hulse, a hat-trick hero for Leeds in midweek, but his shot bounced off one post onto the other and rolled along the line before being cleared.
Blackwell said: "To come away from home and keep a clean sheet, that's the first aim, but to hit the posts on both sides and for it not to cross the line, that's amazing, that's a freak of nature.
"But two teams that are close together, neither of us are going to give anything away.
"It was a hard-fought game and it was a battle more than anything else, there wasn't a lot of great football and it is a case of making sure we go home having not got beaten.
"That's our seventh clean sheet out of 11 games now so we know we're defensively quite solid. People can talk about the pace of our back four but they had quick lads and they never really caused us a problem in terms of that."
Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd, who worked under Blackwell before being given his chance by the Hornets, said: "We went out to win the game and I think Leeds are the happier team going away with the point.
"I am certainly a bit disappointed we didn't win it, but all in all we are picking up points with key players out and we have got to be pleased with that."
Watford were without injured strikers Marlon King and Darius Henderson.
Boothroyd was asked if he shared a similar tactical outlook on the game as Blackwell and replied: "I like to win football matches, I like to entertain.
"I like to play with pace and I like people to go home with a smile on their face and have something to talk about.
"I think we have got a lot of quicker players, so tactically they had to defend deep because if they had played any higher we would have got in behind them."
The chance which almost yielded a goal for Hulse came about after Robbie Blake dispossessed Malky Mackay and fed his strike partner, with Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster relieved to see the ball stay out.
Foster then did well to hold Blake's 25-yard low free-kick just before the interval, and chances continued to be at a real premium in the second half.
Substitute Danny Pugh sent a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the Watford area not far wide.Watford's Ashley Young also forced Neil Sullivan into a smart save at his near post, but neither side possessed much thrust in the final third.
