All credit to Watford for sticking with it, keeping well organised, not getting utterly frustrated without the ball for long periods and not getting over zesty in the challenges.
Our formation seemed to be something like 3-1-5-1 in the first half, with Jay Fulton the deepest defender – completely untroubled and in control – and Rhys Williams and Brandon Cooper often ahead of Dan Williams, who pulled most of the strings. There seemed to be a definite switch in the 2nd half, Dan Williams pretty much lining up alongside Fulton at the back (the Downes role?), with Cooper and Rhys Williams switching sides and continuing to play forward. If the intention was designed to give Cooper and Rhys Williams more time on the ball, it worked, but it reduced Dan Williams’s prominence and probably made us less effective overall.
As the OS report says, we created lots of chances in the first half, less so after half-time, although we continued to dominate possession throughout. Watford had a mere 2 breaks in the first 45 minutes, one where Pochettino junior stayed onside and crossed harmlessly, the 2nd where the centre froward strayed offside. Their only real chance in the 2nd half came from a misplaced Walsh pass.
A good workout for our fringe players. I thought Dhanda and Whittaker had better 2nd halves, Walsh suffered from trying a bit too hard to play killer balls. Cullen could’ve scored a hat-trick or more on another day.
Rhys Williams was booked in the closing stages.
Nice to see a number of first teamers present at the ground, also Oli Cooper.