Watford v Middlesbrough 05/10/24
Michael Carrick had the air of a man who’d spent all night patiently amassing chips in a casino, only to then greet the dawn penniless and worse for wear.
His team had dominated at Vicarage Road. Adorned in pale blue and white, Middlesbrough had looked assured and unhurried. They monopolised the ball and for seventy five minutes appeared in complete control of proceedings.
Opposing manager and ex team mate Tom Cleverley was content for his team to concede territory and possession. When Middlesbrough did reach the final third Watford’s back three stood firm, leaving goalkeeper Jonathan Bond relatively untroubled.
In modern footballing parlance Watford’s players ‘suffered’ without the ball. So too did their supporters, some perhaps experiencing flashbacks to the relentless soul destroying tedium they witnessed under Valerian Ismael. The unease in the stadium was palpable.
So comfortable were Middlesbrough they came to resemble a medieval army content to make camp in full view of their adversaries, nonchalantly sitting around campfires roasting hogs and making merry, while somehow never quite getting round to the serious business of finishing off the enemy.
Possession may be nine tenths of the law but it doesn’t necessarily win you football matches. Boro had the lions share of the ball in five of their opening fixtures this season and have failed to win any of them.
Defeat had seemed improbable when Watford’s defences were finally breached early in the second half, George Edmundson smuggling the ball home. Boro were close to sealing the deal shortly after, Latte Lath forcing Bond into a fine double save.
A raft of substitutions then tilted the balance of the game. Carrick opted to shore things up, replacing the creative duo of Micah Hamilton and Ben Doak. Cleverley brought on three attackers in Kwadwo Baah, Vakoun Bayo and Edo Kayembe.
With Bayo linking up play where previously a willing Daniel Jebbison had struggled to find his team mates the momentum of the game began to shift.
Fifteen minutes from time Edo Kayembe equalised. The tide had turned. With full time looming Kwadwo Baah volleyed home to secure the most unlikely of victories.
Tom Cleverley has expressed his intention to turn Vicarage Road into a fortress. That would be quite the transformation. For much of last season it was more akin to a bouncy castle with an attached bar and chill out zone.
Visiting sides no longer anticipate an easy ride. Cleverley’s Watford have now gone eleven games undefeated at home. The manner of their win over Middlesbrough can only instil yet more self belief in the camp. Blackburn Rovers visit next, although before that the Hornets make the short journey up the M1 to face local rivals Luton Town.
