WATFORD will be keen to cap off an excellent week by taking maximum points from Derby County at Vicarage Road this Saturday as they aim to bridge the gap between third and second.
Victories at Birmingham City and Ipswich Town in the last week have left Gianfranco Zola`s side third, three points behind second-placed Hull City and just a point ahead of Ian Holloway`s Crystal Palace in fourth.
Saturday`s visitors on the other hand, sit four places and seven points shy of the Play-Off places but still very much on course to post their best finish under Nigel Clough.
It`s been slow but steady progress for Clough Jnr at Pride Park as the former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool forward looks to build on his father`s famous legacy with the east Midlands outfit.
What, like so many sides, has hindered the Rams the most this season is their inability to put back-to-back wins together. On only two occasions have Clough`s side won back-to-back npower Championship matches, with the most recent example coming in early December.
One positive factor has been the form of Northern Irish international, Jamie Ward. The 5`4 former Aston Villa trainee is the club`s top scorer with 10 goals.
A winger-cum-forward, Ward has missed a reasonable chunk of the campaign through injury, severely hindering his goalscoring process.
Nonetheless, 10 goals for the season represents what has been by far and away his best season in front of goal for the Pride Park outfit.
Formerly of Torquay and Chesterfield, Ward shot to prominence with the Spireites, landing a £333,000 move to Sheffield United following 29 league goals in 67 outings.
Often used on the wing at Bramall Lane, Ward moved to Pride Park, initially on loan, in 2011 before making the move permanent at the end of the season.
Standing at 6`2, the recently-capped Irish international Connor Sammon is at the other end of the physique scale.
Brought to English football by Wigan Athletic and Roberto Martinez, Sammon forged a reputation as a willing runner and a hard-working frontman at the DW Stadium, without ever proving prolific in front of goal.
Indeed, 32 appearances for the Latics yielded just one Premier League goal for the 26 year-old Dubliner, but Clough evidently saw enough in the former Kilmarnock forward to splash £1.2m on him.
A goal in Derby`s 5-1 demolition of Watford in September was Sammon`s first for the Rams and since then he has added a further five strikes in his total of 30 outings for the Rams. Never prolific, but a perfect foil for the smaller, more pacey Ward.
The Rams have something of a defensive injury crisis ahead of Saturday and will be down to the bare bones. Club captain Shaun Barker is out for the season with knee ligament damage whilst Mark O`Brien and James O`Connor are both injured.
Left-back Gareth Roberts serves the last game of his three-match ban and his replacement, youngster Kieron Freeman, limped off during County`s 1-1 draw with Bolton in midweek.
There`s better news regarding centre-half Jake Buxton, who is hoping to be fit for Saturday following a knee injury.
Watford have a significantly shorter injury list, with only Tommie Hoban (Achilles) and Fitz Hall (hamstring) missing.
Daniel Pudil (illness) missed Tuesday`s win in Suffolk but could return if he`s recovered. Cristian Battocchio and Matej Vydra could come back in for Jonathan Hogg and Fernando Forestieri.
Predicted line-ups:
Watford: Almunia (c); Doyley, Nosworthy, Ekstrand; Cassetti, Chalobah, Battocchio, Abdi, Anya; Vydra & Deeney.
Derby County: Legzdins; Brayford, Keogh (c), Hoganson, Freeman; Bryson, Coutts, Hendrick, Jacobs; Sammon & Ward.
Referee: Mr M Haywood.
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