Watford back to winning ways

Watford got back to winning ways on Saturday with a convincing 2-0 victory over Alan Irvine’s Preston North End outfit. The visitors had suffered a slip in form of late and were themselves looking to get back on track after suffering a run of just one win in six. Make that one in seven now as the Hornet’s ran out comfortable winners at Vicarage Road.

Malky Mackay made just one change to the side comprehensively stuffed up at West Brom and that change paid dividends as it was the returning Heidar Helguson that got the ball rolling. Just nine minutes in, the Iceman nodded Don Cowie’s inch-perfect cross straight back where it came from, over Lonergan into the far corner.

Helguson was in for Jon Harley who had started four consecutive games for the first time since January and the decision to move Tom Cleverley out to left midfield paid off too as it was the Manchester United youngster who grabbed the Hornets second.

Thirty-three minutes in fellow loanee Henri Lansbury drove the Hornet’s forward on the break before rolling the ball into the path of Cleverley to slot the ball between ‘keeper and post to get the Golden Boys second of the afternoon and his sixth since arriving on loan.

Preston threatended only rarely and mainly from big Jon Parkin’s even bigger throw-ons, the powerful forward had one chance of note late on as he drove an effort against the base of Scott Loach’s post but the Hornet’s were not to be denied their first clean sheet since October the 17th.

Full Time: 2-0

Watford
Loach ,Doyley ,Mariappa ,Cathcart ,Hodson ,Eustace ,Lansbury ,Cleverley (Harley ,73 ) ,Cowie ,Graham (Henderson ,83 ) ,Helguson (Ellington ,71).

Subs not used: Severin,Bennett,Bryan,Bond.

Preston
Lonergan ,Jones ,Chilvers ,Davidson (Parry ,66 ) ,Collins ,Hart ,Ross Wallace ,Shumulikoski ,Sedgwick (Brown ,72 ) ,Mellor (Elliott ,66 ) ,Parkin.

Subs not used Carter,Henderson,Nolan,Mawene.