Leeds United captain fantastic drew sting out of Hornets as promotion quest first began - YEP 9/4/22
Leeds United and Watford will lock horns today in an enormous fixture that could have a huge say in who stays in the Premier League.
By Lee Sobot
But getting back into the Premier League was the aim when
the two clubs were reunited 12 years ago, captain Richard Naylor bagging the
only goal in August 2010 to put the Whites sixth as part of a season that
almost took them up again.
The Whites had ended three seasons in the doldrums of League
One in the previous campaign by being promoted as runners-up behind Norwich
City under boss Simon Grayson.
Watford, meanwhile, were in their fourth season back in English
football’s second tier, having been relegated after just one season back in the
big time in 2007.
The Hornets made the play-offs in the following campaign in
their bid to bounce straight back – only to be walloped 6-1 by Hull City in the
semi-finals – and 13th and 16th-placed finishes followed over the next two
seasons.
The 2010-11 campaign marked a second season in charge for Malky
Mackay, who had been appointed as successor to Brendan Rodgers back in November
2008.
Under Mackay, Watford’s 2010-11 season began with a 3-2 win
at the previous term’s League One winners Norwich before draws against Coventry
City and Hull City.
A home date against Leeds was next and Grayson’s side
continued their strong start to life back in the second tier as Naylor struck
early to net the winner in a personal landmark game.
The defender was making his 450th career appearance and
lined up alongside Neil Collins, Paul Connolly and Federico Bessone in the back
four, ahead of Kasper Schmeichel in goal.
Neil Kilkenny, Jonny Howson, Bradley Johnson and Lloyd Sam
filled the midfield behind Sanchez Watt and Luciano Becchio.
On a very strong bench, Shane Higgs, Alex Bruce, Max Gradel,
Adam Clayton, Andy Hughes, Davide Somma and Ross McCormack made up the
substitutes.
United’s season had began with a 2-1 defeat at home to Derby
County, but Grayson’s side bounced back with a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest
and then a 3-1 triumph at home to Millwall, either side of EFL Cup clashes
against Lincoln City and Leicester
Watford were missing Danny Graham, who had already netted
four goals so far that season, Troy Deeney taking his place upfront.
But the Hornets could never recover from Naylor’s strike in
the sixth minute which proved the only goal of the game.
The decisive strike came after Watford failed to properly
clear a Kilkenny corner, Leeds only denied a goal from the initial set-piece as
Hornets keeper Scott Loach tipped Becchio’s header over the bar.
Mackay’s side then cleared their lines from Kilkenny’s
second delivery, but Leeds worked the ball back to the midfielder, who sent in
another inviting cross from the left flank.
The ball was headed back across goal by Deeney but in the
direction of Becchio, whose own attempt to find the opposite corner of the net
was seized upon by Naylor for the easiest of close-range finishes.
In an unspectacular game, that was that, Watford’s best
chance falling to captain John Eustace, who walloped his attempt over the bar.
Leeds lost Bessone to injury but Hughes came on to help
United to a clean sheet and a second win of the new campaign.
After four games played, the victory took Grayson’s side up
to sixth – yet the season ended in heartache as Leeds missed out on a play-offs
place by just one position and three points.
Watford only ended up 14th, but the Hornets went up four
seasons later under Slavisa Jokanovic... followed up by Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites
in 2020 in the campaign which saw the Hornets go back down.
Watford then bounced straight back last term, all leading to
today’s crucial showdown at Vicarage Road.
