Watford 2 Queens Park Rangers 4

Last updated : 29 December 2007 By Footymad Previewer
Those who billed Watford as promotion certainties not so long ago are now being made to eat their words after the alarming decline in results at Vicarage Road reached crisis proportions with this derby debacle against Queens Park Rangers.

Thankfully for the Hornets boss, his side's away form is in marked contrast to their exploits at home, because a run of seven games without three points in your own back yard is a sequence of results that would typically be associated with teams at the wrong end of the table.

The margin of defeat did flatter Rangers as they only had eight goal attempts to Watford's 23 but the reason for the outcome was simple. Superior quality finishing coupled with individual mistakes and poor defensive organisation.

The visitors were effectively gifted their opener after 13 minutes when the error-prone Jordan Stewart bundled over Dexter Blackstock in the penalty area and Martin Rowlands sent Richard Lee the wrong way from 12 yards.

The Hornets continued in the asecdency but found themselves staring down the barrel 16 minutes later when, having successfully defended three corners, they left Damion Stewart unmarked at the near post to connect with a fourth set-piece that he diverted past Lee via the underside of the bar.

And Watford's nightmare first-half assumed horror proportions five minutes before the break when from another set-piece, this time wide on the right, a Blackstock flick-on bisected the Hornets defence and Rowlands cleverly scored his second with a left-foot shot on the turn.

The home side needed a swift response at the start of the second half and they got it six minutes in when Damien Francis diverted home a corner, although the final touch may well have come off Zesh Rehman.

But the expected onslaught never arrived. Rangers were content to sit deep, soak up the pressure and attack on the counter and it was from one such situation that Akos Buzsaky rounded goalkeeper Lee to make the game safe with ten minutes remaining.

The fact that Dan Shittu scored a second for the Hornets soon after failed to take the gloss of a memorable away day for the visiting fans.