FAN’S VIEW: 24/25 – No.42: WATFORD AT HOME

OXFORD UNITED 1 WATFORD 0

Three o’clock kick off on Saturday. That’s extremely rare in this age of Sky TV dictatorship where money rules just about everything. I decided to take advantage and have some unrushed pre-match beer in the city centre. I can’t remember the last time I did that.

The Royal Blenheim has been my go to pub on such occasions and that’s where I headed. Once more it didn’t let me down but the OUFC clientele of previous seasons was conspicuous by its absence. Apparently the Grapes is now quite the place. The beer in the Blenheim was as ever well worth supping but they no longer give a discount to card carrying CAMRA members. That’s a Titanic brewery decision. Instead they accept the 50p vouchers CAMRA dish out for use in any Wetherspoons. Knowing this mine are now much less likely to be binned.

Final pint before the match was in the Blackbird. No real ale so cold Guinness it was. It’s not really about the beer in there. It’s the atmosphere, an absolute Yellows stronghold, as one would expect it to be being so close to our current rented home. The jubilation when Millwall’s Mihailo Ivanovic converted a penalty in the fourth minute of added time to score the only goal of the game against Stoke was a nice little starter before the main course. The more teams below us the better obviously.

Cameron Brannagan being back was a positive and the starting line-up was a more attacking one than we’d put out in the previous game. Not surprising as we were at home.

We didn’t end up with much of the ball though – just 37.6% possession. They attempted 427 passes (accuracy 73%) to our 251 (accuracy 56%) and had 28 touches in our box. We had just eight in theirs. We had eight shots. Watford had twice as many but only one more than we did on target: 4-3.  

As is always the case these days it didn’t take me long to conclude we looked short of Championship quality. Unable to keep the ball whilst the visitors, who we have a really poor record against, were largely in control.

This however didn’t mean that there was a feeling of inevitable defeat. Shemmy Placheta looked a potential danger down the right and our defence was, for the most part, very solid. With the shape we’ve got, if we cut out the individual mistakes that have cost us so dearly recently, our chance of getting something out of a game is greatly increased. It’s not as if teams are opening us up at will and looking like they could score a bucketful. We’re well blessed for centre-halves. If only the same could be said of centre-forwards. In the last FV I gave the opinion that Elliott Moore – 28^th birthday on Sunday – was the best of the lot. Here I thought Mikal Helik stepped up as the main man and Ben Nelson, making his first start since bonfire night, managed 68 minutes. I think he’s going to be some player. He’s not yet 21 but might be by the time you read this. And as we keep saying that’s where Ciaron Brown prefers to play too. There’s also Sam Long was can provide cover there and at right back. Hidde ter Avest has without fuss been given that position, or wing-back, for the last three games and has done a sound job. Perhaps his contribution has gone under the radar. Brown has filled in at left-back. The next time we play after the international break the news is that both the experienced Joe Bennett and Greg Leigh, who provides an outlet for our keeper to knock the ball to on the touch line, will be in contention for that slot. All good news.

Tom Bradshaw too should be available. His Oxford career has hardly begun. The option of using him for some minutes to remove some of the workload placed on Mark Harris’s shoulders will surely be taken. It must be said though that Sparky did fine against the Hornets.

Whilst Watford were that bit more accomplished than we were I’d put them in the same category as Norwich – not good enough to make the top six. Georgian Giorgi Chakvetadze was again noticeable and not just because he was wearing ankle socks. Good player that he is we handled him pretty well.

It didn’t feel right kicking to the East stand in the first period. Unless I’m mistaken that’s not previously happened this season. The way the game went though it would be more accurate to say that we defended the East stand goal in the second half.

Their best first half chances were when Tom Ince poked the ball through to Moussa Sissoko and a Francisco Sierralta header from a free-kick. Jamie Cumming did his job effectively on both occasions. No sign of nerves or loss of confidence following his howler at Hull. That’s one of the marks of a good keeper.

Our best attempt came from a corner. Nearly a given I suppose. Nelson headed over. Perhaps if he’d had more recent minutes on the pitch he would have hit the target.

We began the second half a bit brighter than the first. Placheta got a cross in, Siriki Dembele got there and got a very good first touch but was off balance and put the ball wide. Not such a bad miss as it initially looked but if only he could have struck it with his left not his right he may well have had a better chance of breaking his duck.

Placheta and James Abankwah were having a good old battle down our left flank. Midway through the half our man was rightly booked for pushing the Irishman on loan from Udinese. Abankwah reacted and after some pointing both were shown a yellow card by referee Robert Madley. Madness then for Abankwah to pull Placheta’s shirt just over 10 minutes later. A second yellow and off he went. Placheta can perhaps count himself lucky not to be following Abankwah as he gestured for the card.

Turning point in the game? Not sure about that, we’ve not always done well against a disciplined 10. Or even 9 for a few minutes.

There was only 11 minutes of the 90 to go when we were given our man advantage. A draw was still the most likely outcome. Watford hadn’t conceded in their last two away games. I’d almost accepted that a point was all we would get and was trying to convince myself that whilst not winning would be a pisser it wasn’t the end of the world.

But just three minutes later we scored a goal that had not really looked like coming. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Cameron Brannagan looked up and picked out Harris with a long ball. Our no.9 took a superb first touch. His marker took him down. Nothing malicious, just beaten for skill. Madley made the sensible decision to allow play to continue as we had an advantage with both ter Avest and Dembele moving towards the ball. The latter got there first and, with a little jink, came inside and fired home from just over 12 yards with keeper Egil Selvik not even moving.

This was a moment of magic. No one was slagging Dembele off exactly but there had been spoken comments of him being too light-weight. He hadn’t been in the game much but I very much can ignore that having come up with what he did here. I can’t recall so many people in the SSU leaping to their feet in the way we did when the ball hit the inside of the side netting.

With the remaining time and the seven added minutes we were left with a quarter of an hour to see the game out. Defensive substitutions were made right at the end of the 90. Matt Phillips for Placheta and Alex Matos for Dembele. Negative, against ten men? Gary Rowett knows best. We kept the clean sheet without any really scary moments.

The deep satisfaction I felt on the final whistle was impossible to describe.

If we’d been defeated we would have been just one point above the drop zone. As it is we’re still four above because third bottom Derby got their third win on the spin beating bottom club Plymouth at Home Park. We’re now nine points above Argyle. The Rams will now be fancying their chances of escaping and, if they keep playing as they are, a few of their remaining fixtures look winnable.

Second bottom Luton could only pick up one point at home to Middlesbrough meaning we’ve got a gap of seven points between us and them. They’re still to play both Derby and Stoke.

Cardiff are still below us but winning away at Blackburn will have given them a boost.

Stoke weren’t the only team we overtook after Saturday. Hull may have got a good point at WBA but we’ve now got one more point than they have and it has not gone unnoticed that Pompey, having lost the last two, are on the same points as us and with a goal difference that only betters ours by one. Looking at their fixtures though I think they’ll be alright.

I’m really happy that there’s an international break next weekend. That brings relaxation as opposed to a knotted stomach and stress levels going through the roof.

That anxiety will be back with a vengeance when we travel well over 200 miles to the Riverside stadium on the last Saturday in March. Don’t know how I’m going to get there but I’ve got a ticket. Need a bit of better planning than Norwich so I at least get a pint. Actually it was Mrs FV who picked the ticket up for me as she got to the ground a lot earlier than me as I was drinking beer. She texted me to say “you have a gift”.

Included was a letter from “Gary, Head Coach” including the words “Having spoken with the Ticketing team, I’ve been told you are one of 55 supporters who have already been to over 15 away games so far this season. I will never take for granted the commitment and cost that comes with this.” A really nice touch and much appreciated.

Finally, my nephew (season ticket holder) and his primary school age son (season ticket holder) live in Watford. The young lad was off to school on Monday morning dressed in an Oxford United hat and scarf. His head teacher is a Watford fan. If he’s given a detention it will be worth it.