MATCH REPORTS 2005-06

Pre-Season Friendly

 Northwood 1 Watford 7

Report by Anthony Matthews (Watford Observer)

The opposition may not have been of the highest standard but Adrian Boothroyd's new-look Watford produced an impressive attacking display to brush aside Northwood 7-1 at their Chestnut Avenue ground in their latest pre-season friendly.

The Hornets showed the way their manager wants them to play this season from the outset; working at a high tempo, with quick, forward-thinking passing and effective use of the flanks and, in truth, had Watford taken all the chances that fell their way the final score would have been well into double figures.

Northwood battled very well in the opening half of the match, and it took the Coca Cola Championship side almost half an hour to make a breakthrough. Marlon King, Hameur Bouazza and the highly-impressive Ashley Young all could have put Watford in front before King did make the breakthrough after 28 minutes; rising early to head home Young's whipped in centre from the right at the near post.

The Hornets doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Lloyd Doyley played an excellent 40-yard pass forward to King, whose strength took him past two defenders and the keeper before he bundled the ball home from close range to net his second. Al Bangura and substitute Junior could have extended the visitors' lead before Northwood capitalised on some poor defending by Doyley and Jay DeMerit and Gavin Hart slotted past Richard Lee from close range eight minutes after the restart.

Within two minutes though, the Hornets had restored their two-goal advantage; Anthony McNamee curling a lovely left-footed shot over and beyond keeper Dean Lindsay. Watford then turned the screw, scoring three goals within the space of seven minutes.

First King completed his hat-trick in simple fashion after Junior had pulled the ball back from the left side byline, next the Brazilian striker converted a straightforward header after more good work from Young, and then Dominic Blizzard was in the right place after Lindsay had excelled to prevent an own goal following some neat inter-play between Young and Junior.

Junior and Bouazza, twice, could have extended Watford's lead still further, before the young Frenchman stroked an effort past Lindsay, although he looked well offside when he raced onto a through ball.

Watford: Lee; Chambers, DeMerit, Doyley, Sietes; Young, Bangura, Diagouraga, McNamee; King, Bouazza. Substitutes: Ouon (trialist) for Chambers after 33 mins; Junior and Stewart for Bouazza and Ouon after 45 mins; Blizzard and Gilligan for Diagouraga and Bangura after 61 mins; Ouon for Sietes after 65 mins; Bouazza for King after 69 mins.