Report | Watford 0-0 Argyle
On a day where it felt Watford needed a win in their hunt for a play-off spot, and Argyle desired three points on the road to aid their Sky Bet Championship survival quest, it ended in a goalless draw that is not really satisfactory for either side.
Argyle were the better team in the first half, restricting Watford to precious little in their final third, and fashioning the superior opportunities. After the break, the home side looked far more of a threat, but the Greens still had their moments. In the end, though, for all their efforts, neither side could find that crucial breakthrough.
Ahead of kick-off, Miron Muslic was boosted by not only the returns of Adam Randell and Matty Sorinola, after suspensions, but the return to full fitness of Julio Pleguezuelo, following a rib injury.
The latter joined a back three, also consisting of Nikola Katic and Kornel Szucs, in front of Conor Hazard. Sorinola returned at right wing-back, with Tymoteusz Puchacz playing on the left. Randell was in central midfield, alongside Darko Gyabi, with a front three comprising Ryan Hardie, Mustapha Bundu and the returning Michael Obafemi.
The opening 15 minutes or so had a couple of ‘nearly’ moments, at either end. A clipped ball from Imran Louza would have been perfect for Watford forward Vakoun Bayo, had he not been in an offside position. At the other end, first a Puchacz cross, then an Obafemi throughball, were both centimetres away from Hardie getting onto the end of it.
It was growing into a curious game. It simultaneously felt open – when a team went forward, it always seemed to carry a threat, with plentiful open spaces – but neither side was really creating chances to speak of, or testing the opposing goalkeeper.
That changed on 28 minutes, when Obefemi again turned one round the corner, finding Hardie in a pocket in the area. He shot, left-footed and low, and it took a good reaction save from Egil Selvik to deny him.
It was a narrow call, but Argyle felt on top. A series of 50-50s that Pilgrims turned into 51-49s saw Pleguezuelo, Randell and Bundu all win duels, then Obafemi release Hardie again. His deflected effort went for a corner which, when taken, fell to Gyabi, whose effort was blocked.
Right on half-time, Rocco Vata whistled a low effort wide, which Hazard comfortably watched go wide. The reaction of the home fans was one of tongue-in-cheek cheering: ‘we’ve had a shot’, they sang, giving an indication of how Argyle had marshalled them in the first period.
Within a couple of minutes of the restart, Watford set about trying to put that right. They dominated the ball from the outset of the second half, and had Bayo had a little more poise when a ball was cut back to him, he might have had the opener.
Not long after, Vata was another recipient of a pull back, and his shot was brilliantly blocked by Szucs. One could sense Watford’s belief seeping back, and the correlatory reaction from the Pilgrims, one of nerviness.
That said, a run down the right from Sorinola, which led to a corner, right in front of the Green Army, stirred the visitors. The positivity from the stands seemed to inject back onto the pitch, and suddenly Argyle looked alive again.
Bundu and Obafemi helped to shape one effort for Hardie, which he skewed wide, and then from an excellent burst from Szucs, following an equally strong piece of play by Sorinola, Hardie got into the area again, but his unselfish squaring of the ball did not pay off.
Just after the hour mark, Watford brought on Kwadwo Baah, which audibly buoyed the home crowd. The highly thought-of winger was returning after a two-month injury absence, and changed the game immediately.
His trickery down the right led to a chance in which Vata’s deflected effort hit the bar and went over, and Baah was released shortly afterwards, drawing a good save from Hazard.
With 20 minutes to go, Watford had a chance that, in going wide, almost defied logic. A corner was kept in by Vata, he smashed the ball across the face of goal, and it managed to deflect off Szucs and Bayo before falling wide.
Argyle’s first substitutions came near the 72-minute mark, with Bali Mumba and Jordan Houghton coming on for Bundu and Gyabi. But Watford had the game’s next chance, with Giorgi Chakvetadze releasing Bayo, who went round Hazard, but shot into the side-netting.
Watford were looking the far more likely of the sides to nick the winner. Argyle brought on Callum Wright, Michael Baidoo and Muhamed Tijani to freshen up the front line, but a header from Mattie Pollock was not far wide from a corner, and a Baah clip that was likely meant as a pass ended up rolling not far past the post.
Argyle, however, were not done. A right-wing corner was not cleared by Watford, and Tijani, with virtually his first touch, hit a shot on the turn that did not go far past.
In the final minute of the 90, Argyle broke. Wright did a good job hustling for the ball back, and was able to get the ball to Baidoo. Argyle were three-on-two on the counter, but Baidoo held on for too long, and the chance evaporated.
Injury time saw both sides have chances, somewhat gifted by the other but, in the end, for the second season in a row at Vicarage Road, a fairly open game finished inexplicably goalless.
Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs, 9 Ryan Hardie (26 Muhamed Tijani, 85), 14 Michael Obafemi (30 Michael Baidoo, 79), 15 Mustapha Bundu (2 Bali Mumba, 73), 17 Tymoteusz Puchacz, 18 Darko Gyabi (4 Jordan Houghton, 73), 20 Adam Randell (capt), 25 Nikola Katic, 29 Matty Sorinola (11 Callum Wright, 79). Substitutes: 31 Daniel Grimshaw (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 8 Joe Edwards, 44 Victor Palsson.
Booked: Gyabi 8, Pleguezuelo 64, Hazard 82
Watford: 33 Egil Selvik, 3 Francisco Sierralta, 6 Mattie Pollock, 8 Giorgi Chakvetadze, 10 Imran Louza, 11 Rocco Vata (39 Eyo Kayembe, 90), 17 Moussa Sissoko (capt), 19 VakounBayo (47 Zavier Massiah-Edwards, 79), 24 Tom Dele-Bashiru (34 Kwadwo Baah, 62), 26 Caleb Wiley (37 Yasser Larouci, 90), 45 Ryan Andrews (2 Jeremy Ngakia, half-time). Substitutes: 1 Daniel Bachmann (gk), 7 Tom Ince, 14 Pierre Dwomoh, 22 James Morris.
Booked: None
Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo
