Football

The 2022/23 Season for Watford FC so far places them 4th with 33 points

The Sky Bet Championship season has been suspended for one month due to the commencement of the 2022 World Cup on Sunday (November 20), giving Watford a few weeks to relax, heal, and prepare for the return of the season on December 11 against Hull City at Vicarage Road.

As the Hornets sit fourth in the rankings, we take a look back at how the season has progressed thus far.

August

Watford met Sheffield United in their first encounter, the only gameweek one matchup to take place in August.

With other teams starting on Saturday, July 30, a floodlit Vicarage Road hosted a thrilling and contested match in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Monday night.

The Golden Boys secured their first three points of the season with a 1-0 victory thanks to a well-worked Joo Pedro goal assisted by former Hornet Emmanuel Dennis, with Daniel Bachmann earning praise for an excellent performance in goal to prevent the likes of Daniel Jebbison, Iliman Ndiaye, and John Egan from converting chances.

Watford then faced West Bromwich Albion under the lights at the Hawthorns on Monday August 8 when the fixture computer placed them anyplace but a Saturday. The 1-1 draw offered a single memorable moment for the visiting supporters in the West Midlands, when Ismala Sarr lofted in an incredible shot from his own half to open his account for 2022/23.

On a Friday night, another promotion contender, Vincent Kompany’s new-look Burnley, arrived to town. As the two relegated Premier League teams fought in the midfield, it was club captain Tom Cleverley who scored on the stroke of half-time, slipping in to convert Ken Sema’s byline ball.

Troy Deeney, now at Birmingham City, faced his previous club for the first time in his career in a midweek draw at St Andrew’s, before the Hornets picked up another point on the road against Preston North End.

The Golden Boys were unlucky not to come back against Queens Park Rangers in the initial 3pm kick-off at Vicarage Road, as Edo Kayembe’s late equaliser was ruled out in a challenging day that finished 3-2 to the west-Londoners.

The end of August commemorated the centennial of Watford’s Vicarage Road, as Middlesbrough travelled south for an attractive match.

The hosts wore their black-and-white third strip – identical to the club’s outfit 100 years ago – in a thrilling triumph, with Vakoun Bayo netting in added time to engrave another Vicarage Road memory into the history books.

September

September didn’t produce the same results as the previous month, with back-to-back away defeats to Rotherham United and Blackburn Rovers. Following a point at home to Sunderland, current Head Coach Slaven Bili landed in Hertfordshire for the first international break.

October

Watford put four past Stoke City away from home in a game described by the new Hornets manager as a “dream start,” with goals from Sarr, Sema, Bayo, and Keinan Davis, displaying attacking danger, intensity, and a clean sheet at the other end for Bachmann and his backline.

A 99th-minute goal from Oliver Ntcham condemned Watford to defeat when Swansea City visited Vicarage Road on Wednesday October 5. The Hornets had left Blackpool pointless the previous weekend after a 3-1 loss, but the Golden Boys bounced back against Norwich City thanks to first-half goals from Imrân Louza and Davis.

Another away loss to Millwall was sealed by Tom Bradshaw’s half-hour hat-trick, but a derby against Luton Town at Vicarage Road presented the perfect opportunity to turn things around, and the Hornets did it in sparkling manner.

Dominating their opponents for 90 minutes in an exciting environment, goals from Davis, William Troost-Ekong, Joo Pedro, and Sarr completed a 4-0 whitewash of the Hatters, 25 years after the Hornets’ 4-0 triumph at Kenilworth Road.

November

Following the derby thrashing, Watford carried that momentum on the road, winning 1-0 and 2-1 against Wigan Athletic and Cardiff City, respectively, in commanding displays.

After three consecutive wins, a narrow 1-0 defeat to an in-form Coventry City wasn’t ideal, but the Hornets quickly returned to winning ways at home to Reading thanks to a Joo Pedro brace, before a hard-fought point away at Bristol City ensured Bili’s side remained in the play-off places with the break approaching.

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