WATFORD FC vs LEEDS UNITED
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4th May 2013 KO 12:45 Vicarage Road Stadium and Sky Sports 2 on the red button
This is the final day of the 12/13 regular season and these two teams can look back on it as a season of differing fortunes and misfortunes.
Back on the opening day of the season Watford won away at Crystal palace, and after a rocky couple of months the Hornets haven't looked back since and have been maintaining a play-off push ever since.
Leeds, however have suffered contrasting fortunes. They won their opening match but since then have been on a roller coaster up and down the middle of the table. Their poor form seemed to combine with a 1-6 defeat at the hands of the Hornets in the reverse fixture.
Last Time Out
In their last match, Watford beat fellow promotion chasers Leicester 1-2 at the King Power stadium with a typically industrious goal from Troy Deeney and a 30-yrd wonder strike from Nathaniel Chalobah enough to seal the points for the Hornets.
[video=youtube;d6SyLAFd38M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6SyLAFd38M[/video]
Gianfranco Zola
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"I think it will go down to the final day, I hope so. In this league nothing is certain - it has been that way all season.
"Any team can beat any team - as we have seen. I'm sure it will go right down until the end and it will be exciting.
"I will keep an eye (on the Hull game) but I will also try to relax.
"We have done what we needed to do and now we have to hope that a good result will come from somewhere else."
In their last match, Leeds went down 1-2 to Brighton in a match which saw 3 red cards. Rudolph Austin was the first to see red as he was punished for violent conduct, with El-Hadji Diouf sent off later for supposedly making an obscene jesture to the visiting fans.
Brian McDermott
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"What he [Diouf] did is not clever. He has got to learn because he is going to miss three games now. He is really upset but he has to be accountable for his actions.
These things are dotted around his career. He can be a match-winner and I've told him he has to let his football do the talking.
"If you run 50 yards and make a gesture, that is not a heat of the moment thing. I believe 100% he can learn from this - he has to."
Tale of the Seasons
WATFORD
Bloother
Regardless of how it ends this has been a great season and one that I will gladly add to the old memory bank. But for Mini Bloother, after a few average seasons, this is his first season of watching a promotion chasing team and the first experience that he will be able to look back on and say âI was thereâ
Bolton's Boots
Highlights? Lots - but most notably, and in no particular order:
* The emergence of Troy Deeney - from the darkness of his prison cell into the limelight. He is fast becoming our most influential striker since Sir Luther, and is probably the most feared in the Championship at the moment;
* That team goal against Huddersfield - simply has to go down in our history as the best ever, probably even better than Scully's piece of individual magic all those years ago;
* That win at Leeds in November. Yes it was against nine men, but boy didn't we show Cardiff - who had somewhat fortunately scraped home with an injury time winner against nine man us only two weeks prior - how to really play against a nine man team?
* The Pozzo's faith in our home-grown youth, evidenced by the five-year contracts handed to the best of them.
but it hasnt all been plain sailing
OFH
There have been times when our off-field issues threatened to overwhelm the action on the pitch, but steadily GFZ improved the team and individual players, and built them into a force that took many by surprise.
Hornette
Oh wow! It's been amazing...and it seems a real shame, though perhaps predictable that it seems to be ending, not with a bang, but a whimper. Hopefully that won't mask the amazing achievement of the team, the head coach, the backroom staff, not to mention the Pozzos and their team.
LEEDS
Ya-Bad-Habibou
The seasons gone exactly as I expected poor tactics from day one and leaving burnley away I feared relegation, warnocks tactics are fit for league one hoof hoof defend 1 goal leads
Kenneth Bates
It's been a rollercoaster. Start of the season I thought I was going to be filthy rich, but those Bahrainis turned out not to have a pot to piss in. I had to accept a measly £32 million for the club. Of course, Warnock going has been a bit of a tonic. I'm seeing out my last few weeks at the helm chuckling at David and Saleem as they run round like headless chickens calling everyone from Nigel Adkins to Sven Goran Eriksson. Yeah - Sven - I **** you not!
Of course the Melvyn Levi court case was a bit of a struggle, and I'm not best pleased with the OFCOM ruling this week, but I supppose it could have been worse. Those sneaky Bahrainis nearly dobbed me in to the tax man when they did their due diligence and found out what I'd been up to. If it hadn't been for Shaun's quick thinking and another £2.5 million off the asking price it'd have been chokey for me and no mistake. On the whole a positive season though. At least I managed to cash out before the relegation
jasonwilcoxsrightfoot
This has been the worst Leeds team I've seen since I started going to Elland Road 15 years ago. Even in League 1 we had the likes of Snograss, Howson, Beckford and Becchio, but today we have an absolute dearth of quality. It has also been the worst season I can remember in the Championship
Previous meeting
Last time out (as im sure Leeds fans will want to forget) Watford ran out winners with a sterling display, albeit against 9 men for most of the 2nd half, and ran out 1-6 winners at Elland road with goals from Vydra x2, Abdi, Murray, Yeates and Deeney. Tonge got the consolation for Leeds from the penalty spot.
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Last Time Out
In their last match, Watford beat fellow promotion chasers Leicester 1-2 at the King Power stadium with a typically industrious goal from Troy Deeney and a 30-yrd wonder strike from Nathaniel Chalobah enough to seal the points for the Hornets.
[video=youtube;d6SyLAFd38M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6SyLAFd38M[/video]
In their last match, Leeds went down 1-2 to Brighton in a match which saw 3 red cards. Rudolph Austin was the first to see red as he was punished for violent conduct, with El-Hadji Diouf sent off later for supposedly making an obscene jesture to the visiting fans.
BHD'S Prediction
I have a sneaking suspicion that this game will be almost completely meaningless to Leeds, they are safe from relegation and have no chance of the play-offs. So i would expect to see some form of experimentation from Brian McDermott, with an eye on next season. Also if the appeal against Austin's sending off is not successful there will be at least two new faces from the last time out. However, Leeds are still a physical team and more than capable on their day. Watford on the other hand have every chance of that final automatic place and will be giving their all to make certain of bettering Hull's result.
I think this will be a fantastic day out for the 16,000+ fans who attend and predict that the drive and desire of the Watford players will win through leading to a 3-0 scoreline which sees Watford back in the Premiership.
COME ON YOU 'ORNS!!
