Stinging the Hornets

Andy Munro reports back on Blues win over Watford.

There are some things about Watford that I’ve always found annoying.

Firstly the fact that they have a famous showbiz supporter, Sir Elton of John, who was prepared to put money into the club while the West Midlands is littered by stars from Robert Plant to Jasper Carrott who are happy to be feted as celebrities when they visit the club they support but put in very little tangibly, not even bothering to be a real force for championing change.

Secondly Watford, whose only other claim to fame is that the town marks the geographical divide between ‘norf’ and ‘sarf’, then had the temerity to finish runners up in the top division in 1982 which is something we, as a club bearing the second city’s name, have never even bothered to aspire to… at any stage. Add to this the fact that they once  knocked us out of the play offs and were ultimately responsible with landing us with Paul Furlong – a forward who made Emile Heskey look positively dynamic – and there’s not much to like.

With Blues unbeaten and Watford struggling, it seemed like a typical Blues banana skin. Typically the first25 minutes, played admittedly in blustery conditions, provided the sort of dead, uninspiring outfield play that would have gladdened the heart of the Ginger One. Luckily it began to change following typically excellent work from Chris Burke ending with Fahy, who had an impressive game you boo boys, curling in a superlative cross to the onrushing Davies to power home an unstoppable header.

Apart from one heartstopping moment when Watford were foiled by Boaz Myhill, Blues continued to dominate mainly due to Chris Burke and Jonathan Spector causing a multitude of problems down the right and Fahy and Mutch controlling the middle of the park. Although my one criticism of the latter was his rather unwise penchant to ping ambitious 50 yard balls in a Gale Force Ten. A second goal came courtesy of another great header from Curtis – were we about to invent a new footballing quiz question, which centre half scored a hat trick of headers?

Finally, following a goalmouth melee in the Watford area, Chris Burke seized onto a loose ball to rifle it home. Then it became one of those rare occasions when watching Bluenoses could unpack their smoking jackets, pipes and slippers as Blues cruised to three points. Mind you, despite the three goal win it was the defence and midfield who were the main reason for the three points whilst Messrs Ziggy and King were virtually anonymous for most of the game. Additionally the latter pulled up ominously and despite being able to bring on the willing Rooney, we now desperately need another quality striker to ensure that we have the firepower to sustain a serious challenge.