Leeds' Ross McCormack spoils Watford's automatic dream at the death
Guardian 4/5/13
Watford 1-2 Leeds United
Jacob Steinberg at Vicarage Road
For Watford it was an afternoon when absolutely nothing went right and at the end of it there was an unmistakeable sense of what might have been. When Cardiff City scored a dramatic late penalty to earn a 2-2 draw with Hull City, Watford, who were being held 1-1 at home by Leeds only needed one goal to steal the final automatic promotion place. One goal to decide an entire season.
Yet no sooner had the prospect of Premier League football been dangled tantalisingly in front of Watford, it was snatched away from them. As they poured men forward in search of a decisive winning goal there was space for Leeds to exploit on the break and when Aidan White sent Ross McCormack racing away down the right flank in the 90th minute, his tame chip from 25 yards out somehow slipped through the fingers of the teenage debutant keeper, Jack Bonham, and slithered agonisingly over the line to condemn Watford to the play-offs. "I thought we were going to make it," Gianfranco Zola said. "I knew we had the quality to create a goal. It was a big gamble but I had to try."
Watford cannot dwell on the past, though, and Zola must lift his side ahead of the first leg of their play-off semi-final away to Leicester on Thursday. He already knows that he will be without Troy Deeney, who was sent off for two bookings, while Manuel Almunia injured his left hamstring in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Jonathan Bond, who was taken to hospital after suffering a sickening injury in the first half.
When a long ball was launched forward for Dominic Poleon, on as a substitute for a bloodied Steve Morison after he was involved in a collision with Joel Ekstrand, to chase there did not appear to be any danger. Yet as Ikechi Anya came across to shepherd the ball back to his keeper, Poleon gave the defender a sly, disgraceful push in the back, causing him to clatter into Bond.
The blood on the pitch told its own story, as did 16 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half, and it was a dereliction of duty on the part of the referee Graham Salisbury that he did not send Poleon off. Overall Salisbury did not cover himself in glory, having earlier missed Michael Brown denying Jonathan Hogg a clear goalscoring opportunity when he tripped the Watford midfielder in the area.
Brian McDermott claimed the injury to Bond was an accident, while Zola did not seek to castigate Poleon. "Bond has a broken nose," the Italian said. "He has been taken to the hospital for an assessment. If it's only a broken nose he should be ok. Now you can play with protection. It looked like he wasn't responding. The way he went down was worrying."
On came young Bonham to make his debut in difficult circumstances. He had arrived at Vicarage Road expecting to watch the match from the stands but instead found himself thrust into action in Watford's biggest game of the season. It was too much. Three minutes before half-time Leeds hoofed it again and Poleon took advantage of indecision between Bonham and Ekstrand to score. The irony was presumably lost on Watford.
There had been a flatness about Watford but falling behind seemed to rouse them. In the sixth minute of added time Nathaniel Chalobah sprayed a pass out to Anya, who cut inside and found Almen Abdi on the edge of the area. His outstanding curler from the edge of the area gave Leeds keeper Paddy Kenny no chance.
At last the tension had been lifted and news soon filtered through that Cardiff had taken the lead at Hull. Suddenly belief coursed through Watford – and evaporated just as quickly as Hull scored twice before Deeney, already on a booking, sent Brown flying. At that point it looked up for Watford and for a while the game drifted into irrelevance, even if Kenny had to react well to save from Matej Vydra.
Yet at times this had felt like a race that no one wanted to win and when Hull, who have mastered the art of choking in recent weeks, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-1 and then conceded one that made it 2-2, Watford could dream again. "Interesting game," McDermott said. "Amazing game." He could have been summing up the entire sport itself.
Having been offered a glimmer of hope, the 10 men attacked with renewed urgency, Kenny saving well from Abdi and Chalobah, and Fernando Forestieri stabbing a shot into the side-netting. On the touchline Zola thought a goal was on its way. It was, just not at the right end. There was to be no fairytale ending. Perhaps it will have to wait for Wembley.
Jacob Steinberg at Vicarage Road
For Watford it was an afternoon when absolutely nothing went right and at the end of it there was an unmistakeable sense of what might have been. When Cardiff City scored a dramatic late penalty to earn a 2-2 draw with Hull City, Watford, who were being held 1-1 at home by Leeds only needed one goal to steal the final automatic promotion place. One goal to decide an entire season.
Yet no sooner had the prospect of Premier League football been dangled tantalisingly in front of Watford, it was snatched away from them. As they poured men forward in search of a decisive winning goal there was space for Leeds to exploit on the break and when Aidan White sent Ross McCormack racing away down the right flank in the 90th minute, his tame chip from 25 yards out somehow slipped through the fingers of the teenage debutant keeper, Jack Bonham, and slithered agonisingly over the line to condemn Watford to the play-offs. "I thought we were going to make it," Gianfranco Zola said. "I knew we had the quality to create a goal. It was a big gamble but I had to try."
Watford cannot dwell on the past, though, and Zola must lift his side ahead of the first leg of their play-off semi-final away to Leicester on Thursday. He already knows that he will be without Troy Deeney, who was sent off for two bookings, while Manuel Almunia injured his left hamstring in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Jonathan Bond, who was taken to hospital after suffering a sickening injury in the first half.
When a long ball was launched forward for Dominic Poleon, on as a substitute for a bloodied Steve Morison after he was involved in a collision with Joel Ekstrand, to chase there did not appear to be any danger. Yet as Ikechi Anya came across to shepherd the ball back to his keeper, Poleon gave the defender a sly, disgraceful push in the back, causing him to clatter into Bond.
The blood on the pitch told its own story, as did 16 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half, and it was a dereliction of duty on the part of the referee Graham Salisbury that he did not send Poleon off. Overall Salisbury did not cover himself in glory, having earlier missed Michael Brown denying Jonathan Hogg a clear goalscoring opportunity when he tripped the Watford midfielder in the area.
Brian McDermott claimed the injury to Bond was an accident, while Zola did not seek to castigate Poleon. "Bond has a broken nose," the Italian said. "He has been taken to the hospital for an assessment. If it's only a broken nose he should be ok. Now you can play with protection. It looked like he wasn't responding. The way he went down was worrying."
On came young Bonham to make his debut in difficult circumstances. He had arrived at Vicarage Road expecting to watch the match from the stands but instead found himself thrust into action in Watford's biggest game of the season. It was too much. Three minutes before half-time Leeds hoofed it again and Poleon took advantage of indecision between Bonham and Ekstrand to score. The irony was presumably lost on Watford.
There had been a flatness about Watford but falling behind seemed to rouse them. In the sixth minute of added time Nathaniel Chalobah sprayed a pass out to Anya, who cut inside and found Almen Abdi on the edge of the area. His outstanding curler from the edge of the area gave Leeds keeper Paddy Kenny no chance.
At last the tension had been lifted and news soon filtered through that Cardiff had taken the lead at Hull. Suddenly belief coursed through Watford – and evaporated just as quickly as Hull scored twice before Deeney, already on a booking, sent Brown flying. At that point it looked up for Watford and for a while the game drifted into irrelevance, even if Kenny had to react well to save from Matej Vydra.
Yet at times this had felt like a race that no one wanted to win and when Hull, who have mastered the art of choking in recent weeks, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-1 and then conceded one that made it 2-2, Watford could dream again. "Interesting game," McDermott said. "Amazing game." He could have been summing up the entire sport itself.
Having been offered a glimmer of hope, the 10 men attacked with renewed urgency, Kenny saving well from Abdi and Chalobah, and Fernando Forestieri stabbing a shot into the side-netting. On the touchline Zola thought a goal was on its way. It was, just not at the right end. There was to be no fairytale ending. Perhaps it will have to wait for Wembley.