Watford recorded their first home win of the season after battling back from a goal behind to beat Millwall 2-1 in an enthralling second half performance.
Watford made one change going into the game with Rene Gilmartin replacing Scott Loach in goal after the latter’s errors in recent weeks. Millwall brought in Tony Craig and emergency-loan signing Brian Howard.
Watford started on the front foot keeping possession nicely but created little on goal to trouble keeper David Forde. The closest Watford came was a Mark Yeates overhead kick from 8 yards out following a long throw, the ball going inches over the top.
The Hornets long throws caused problems for the Millwall defence all night and another Dickinson delivery was helped on by a Millwall head at the near post and John Eustace came sliding in but was denied by Forde.
Millwall did manage to get the ball in the net after half an hour but Danny N’Guessan’s header from a Brian Howard free kick was ruled out for offside.
Half Time 0-0
Second Half
The Hornets continued to dominate in the early stages of the second half. Mark Yeates fired over the crossbar following a nice piece of skill. John Eustace also had an effort go wide when he broke from midfield and found space on the edge of the box.
Millwall took the lead totally against the run of play in a fare foray into the Watford half. Liam Trotter and Liam Feeney combined on the left hand side with Feeney taking the ball towards the goal line before crossing from just inside the area. His looping effort deceived Gilmartin and hit the inside of the post and went in.
Watford went immediately on the attack with Jonathan Hogg shooting wide from distance before firing straight at Forde with an effort from the edge of the box.
Watford drew level with a cracking 20-yard strike from Carl Dickinson. After a Yeates corner had been cleared Hogg challenged for the ball on the edge of the area with the ball rebounding to the left back who struck the ball hard and low through a crowd of players and into the bottom corner.
With their tails up Watford went in search of a winner and found it five minutes from time. Joe Garner challenged Darren Ward for a header on the edge of the box and when two Millwall defenders got in each others way when trying to clear the knock-down Craig Forsyth found himself free 10 yards out and fired low under David Forde for the winner.
Final Score
Watford 2-1 Millwall
Watford: Gilmartin, Doyley, Mariappa, Taylor, Dickinson, Yeates (Deeney), Hogg, Eustace, Forsyth, Garner, Sordell (Iwelumo)
Millwall: Forde, Dunne, Robinson, Ward, Craig, Henry, Abdou (Marquis), Howard, Feeney, Trotter, N’Guessan (Bouazza)
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I still don’t think we will go down, but I gotta question the tactics that Dyche implements? I don’t see any and his reluctance to make substitutions, makes Malky look positive!
I was beginning to wonder if he was going to make any changes I must say. We had two strikers and an attacking midfielder in Sean Murray on the bench but he seemed reluctant to use them. The timing of Scott Loach’s dropping was odd too, obviously it’s a big call but its Gilmartin any better? He might have had no chance with the goal but I still believe he has more mistakes in his locker.
Ha this makes me laugh. We completly outplay a team and Dyche is proved totally right in his view that the team didn’t need changing because it was good enough to win the game and he still gets stick!!!!!!!! Please
Did we out play them? Sure, we had plenty of possession. I question the tactics on the games I have seen, which is all the home and 2 away and his indecision to make changes.
but the FACT is that his openion that the team out there was good enough to win was proved right. I really don’t understand the criticism when his method has payed off. In actual fact listening to fans in the stand shouting for changes is the easy thing hoping one will pay off. What is actually harder is leaving things as they are if they are going well, Why is Dyche indicisive because he didn’t make a change. Maybe he weighed up the options and decided the subs weren’t going to make a difference so made a decision to leave it. You can be decisive in deciding not to change it you know.