Watford 0 Tottenham 0
Tommy Smith produced one of the misses of the season in the goalless draw with Tottenham at Vicarage Road to ensure Watford are still looking for their first Barclays Premiership victory after 10 matches.
Smith somehow shot over an open Tottenham goal in the eighth minute - a moment that summed up the struggles Watford are enduring as they try to adapt to life in the top flight.
This was the kind of game Watford need to win if they are to survive, because Spurs -with the exception of the excellent Aaron Lennon - lacked inspiration in attack.
They could have won the match had Lennon not found Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster in such fine form, but a Spurs win would not have been a just result, while Watford will bemoan Ashley Young's strike which was disallowed in the first half for a marginal offside.
Tottenham made nine changes to their starting line-up, with only Tom Huddlestone and Hossam Ghaly retained from the XI that started the midweek Carling Cup win at Milton Keynes Dons.
But it was Watford who made a flying start to the match, and came close to taking the lead inside 15 seconds.
From the kick-off, Gavin Mahon released Smith on the right, and the winger eluded Benoit Assou-Ekotto before sending in a cross that Michael Dawson did superbly to hook away from the head of Darius Henderson.
Smith was a constant threat for the home side on his return to the team - but only he will know how he failed to put Watford 1-0 up in the eighth minute.
After Lloyd Doyley had volleyed Jordan Stewart's left-wing cross back into the danger zone, Smith somehow managed to shoot over the crossbar from three yards with the goal at his mercy.
Watford were almost punished immediately when Lennon tricked his way past Doyley and Dan Shittu to set up an angled shot that Ben Foster saved smartly at his near post.
It was an extremely lively start to the match, and Foster denied Lennon again in the 11th minute, racing out of his goal to prevent the England winger finishing off Robbie Keane's excellent pass.
Watford persisted with the long-ball strategy that they have used all season, but Dawson was playing superbly at the back for Spurs and rarely missed a header.
Doyley was experiencing a far tougher time against the skilful Lennon, who came close for a third time in the 35th minute.
Lennon collected a pass from Ghaly and stepped inside Doyley before unleashing a 12-yard effort that Foster did well to push over the top.
Smith had the measure of Assou-Ekotto on the Watford right, but after beating him again in the 37th minute, the Hornets man waited too late before pulling the ball back, and Ledley King was able to clear for a corner.
Watford put the ball in the net four minutes before the interval, but Young was ruled to have been offside at the moment Bouazza released him through the middle.
Just as they had done at the beginning of the first half, Watford began the second period by creating a chance.
But as in the opening 45 minutes, they failed to take it, Smith inches away from applying a decisive touch to Young's low ball from the left across the face of the goal.
Spurs came even closer to scoring the game's opener in the 53rd minute. Ghaly's clever pass from the right found Keane, who rounded Foster before volleying the ball back into the middle, where Jay DeMerit produced a superb back-heeled clearance to concede a corner.
At the other end, Damien Francis' 20-yard effort took a deflection off Huddlestone and trickled just wide of the left post, while in the 57th minute Keane - given too much time and space inside the Watford area - saw a right-footed shot parried by Foster.
Lennon was frustrated by Foster once again in the 75th minute after Watford found themselves in a muddle at the back.
After Stewart had lost the ball, Lennon seized possession and bore down on Foster, but the on-loan goalkeeper was able to push Lennon's angled shot into the ground and was relieved to see it bounce over the crossbar.
In the final 10 minutes Jermaine Jenas and King both headed wide when unmarked inside the penalty area.
Tottenham boss Martin Jol ordered Aaron Lennon to be more clinical after the young winger wasted a number of chances in the 0-0 draw at Watford.
The result means Spurs are still looking for their first away win of the season in the Barclays Premiership - and their only goal on the road was an own-goal from Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel.
Watford also wasted a number of opportunities - including an incredible miss from Tommy Smith, who shot over an open goal in the eighth minute - but it was Lennon's wastefulness that frustrated Jol.
'Aaron had four great chances, and I would like him to score at least one out of four,' Jol said. 'But with Aaron, it will take one or two more years before he is in that position.
'His pace means he will always get chances to score, but that is something that will come with experience.'
Spurs have lost only one of their last six matches in the league, although they will have been disappointed not to have overcome a team who have yet to win a Premiership match this season.
But Spurs rode their luck at times at Vicarage Road. There was the incredible miss from Smith, but Ashley Young also had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside decision.
Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd insisted Young's goal should have been allowed to stand - and maintained his customary optimism despite his team's failure to collect three points.
Boothroyd said: 'I have seen Ashley Young's effort again on TV, and it was a goal.
'This was a solid performance. We are becoming a difficult team to beat, and it is another step up the league table.
'We are starting to keep clean sheets on a regular basis, which can only be a good thing.'
Although they are reasonably tight in defence - goalkeeper Ben Foster was outstanding once again - Watford struggle in attack.
They have managed only five goals from five home matches in the league - and three of those came in a single game against Fulham.
But Boothroyd insisted: 'I am still sleeping well at night. What is important is where we finish, not the position we are in now.
'We came into the Premiership as part of a fairy-tale, but now we are starting to wake up.
'I have seen enough to know that, when we start scoring, we will no longer be languishing at the wrong end of the table.
'It is only a matter of time, and we could have had two or three goals in the first five minutes today.'
Jol's are putting together a healthy unbeaten run but the Dutch boss admitted that the result could have gone against his players today.
He added: 'Watford put us on the back foot during the first 15 minutes, and they were very aggressive right from the kick-off.
'We could not take full control because of that, although we played better in the second half, and could have nicked it.
'Having said that, Watford might also have won, so full credit to them.'
Smith somehow shot over an open Tottenham goal in the eighth minute - a moment that summed up the struggles Watford are enduring as they try to adapt to life in the top flight.
This was the kind of game Watford need to win if they are to survive, because Spurs -with the exception of the excellent Aaron Lennon - lacked inspiration in attack.
They could have won the match had Lennon not found Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster in such fine form, but a Spurs win would not have been a just result, while Watford will bemoan Ashley Young's strike which was disallowed in the first half for a marginal offside.
Tottenham made nine changes to their starting line-up, with only Tom Huddlestone and Hossam Ghaly retained from the XI that started the midweek Carling Cup win at Milton Keynes Dons.
But it was Watford who made a flying start to the match, and came close to taking the lead inside 15 seconds.
From the kick-off, Gavin Mahon released Smith on the right, and the winger eluded Benoit Assou-Ekotto before sending in a cross that Michael Dawson did superbly to hook away from the head of Darius Henderson.
Smith was a constant threat for the home side on his return to the team - but only he will know how he failed to put Watford 1-0 up in the eighth minute.
After Lloyd Doyley had volleyed Jordan Stewart's left-wing cross back into the danger zone, Smith somehow managed to shoot over the crossbar from three yards with the goal at his mercy.
Watford were almost punished immediately when Lennon tricked his way past Doyley and Dan Shittu to set up an angled shot that Ben Foster saved smartly at his near post.
It was an extremely lively start to the match, and Foster denied Lennon again in the 11th minute, racing out of his goal to prevent the England winger finishing off Robbie Keane's excellent pass.
Watford persisted with the long-ball strategy that they have used all season, but Dawson was playing superbly at the back for Spurs and rarely missed a header.
Doyley was experiencing a far tougher time against the skilful Lennon, who came close for a third time in the 35th minute.
Lennon collected a pass from Ghaly and stepped inside Doyley before unleashing a 12-yard effort that Foster did well to push over the top.
Smith had the measure of Assou-Ekotto on the Watford right, but after beating him again in the 37th minute, the Hornets man waited too late before pulling the ball back, and Ledley King was able to clear for a corner.
Watford put the ball in the net four minutes before the interval, but Young was ruled to have been offside at the moment Bouazza released him through the middle.
Just as they had done at the beginning of the first half, Watford began the second period by creating a chance.
But as in the opening 45 minutes, they failed to take it, Smith inches away from applying a decisive touch to Young's low ball from the left across the face of the goal.
Spurs came even closer to scoring the game's opener in the 53rd minute. Ghaly's clever pass from the right found Keane, who rounded Foster before volleying the ball back into the middle, where Jay DeMerit produced a superb back-heeled clearance to concede a corner.
At the other end, Damien Francis' 20-yard effort took a deflection off Huddlestone and trickled just wide of the left post, while in the 57th minute Keane - given too much time and space inside the Watford area - saw a right-footed shot parried by Foster.
Lennon was frustrated by Foster once again in the 75th minute after Watford found themselves in a muddle at the back.
After Stewart had lost the ball, Lennon seized possession and bore down on Foster, but the on-loan goalkeeper was able to push Lennon's angled shot into the ground and was relieved to see it bounce over the crossbar.
In the final 10 minutes Jermaine Jenas and King both headed wide when unmarked inside the penalty area.
Tottenham boss Martin Jol ordered Aaron Lennon to be more clinical after the young winger wasted a number of chances in the 0-0 draw at Watford.
The result means Spurs are still looking for their first away win of the season in the Barclays Premiership - and their only goal on the road was an own-goal from Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel.
Watford also wasted a number of opportunities - including an incredible miss from Tommy Smith, who shot over an open goal in the eighth minute - but it was Lennon's wastefulness that frustrated Jol.
'Aaron had four great chances, and I would like him to score at least one out of four,' Jol said. 'But with Aaron, it will take one or two more years before he is in that position.
'His pace means he will always get chances to score, but that is something that will come with experience.'
Spurs have lost only one of their last six matches in the league, although they will have been disappointed not to have overcome a team who have yet to win a Premiership match this season.
But Spurs rode their luck at times at Vicarage Road. There was the incredible miss from Smith, but Ashley Young also had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside decision.
Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd insisted Young's goal should have been allowed to stand - and maintained his customary optimism despite his team's failure to collect three points.
Boothroyd said: 'I have seen Ashley Young's effort again on TV, and it was a goal.
'This was a solid performance. We are becoming a difficult team to beat, and it is another step up the league table.
'We are starting to keep clean sheets on a regular basis, which can only be a good thing.'
Although they are reasonably tight in defence - goalkeeper Ben Foster was outstanding once again - Watford struggle in attack.
They have managed only five goals from five home matches in the league - and three of those came in a single game against Fulham.
But Boothroyd insisted: 'I am still sleeping well at night. What is important is where we finish, not the position we are in now.
'We came into the Premiership as part of a fairy-tale, but now we are starting to wake up.
'I have seen enough to know that, when we start scoring, we will no longer be languishing at the wrong end of the table.
'It is only a matter of time, and we could have had two or three goals in the first five minutes today.'
Jol's are putting together a healthy unbeaten run but the Dutch boss admitted that the result could have gone against his players today.
He added: 'Watford put us on the back foot during the first 15 minutes, and they were very aggressive right from the kick-off.
'We could not take full control because of that, although we played better in the second half, and could have nicked it.
'Having said that, Watford might also have won, so full credit to them.'
posted by dgarden at 8:29 am
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