A stroll
Report by Pete Fincham
Well, it was 6-1 as you already have read. The game was the most one-sided
since the England World Cup winners of 1966 took on Sudbury special needs in
the Surrey Darby and Jones Cup.
Basically Day in goal had nothing to do, Gibbs and Pluck both played as
conventional full backs with a licence to go up field and put in crosses
that no-one decided to get anywhere near. Both actually played well. Millen
and Yates looked bored, as neither really had too much to do.
In midfield Perpetuini did quite a good job with Danny Grieves
of running the show, but when up against a part-time postal XI one would
expect full-time footballers to dominate! Johan Gudmundsson played out on the
left wing with Tony Daley excelling down the right.
Up front Andrews and Smith combined in the first half, while Cornock
replaced Andrews at half time.
Before a goal had gone in, Johan had been brought down in the area and
Andrews' penalty was very well saved by the pie man in goal. This was the
story of things to come, as a combination of woeful finishing (Andrews ten
yards out skewed fifteen yards wide!) and brave goalkeeping kept Watford down to two
goals in the first forty-five. Perpetuini scored from a free kick that evaded
everyone (including Andrews) after ten minutes and then a Daley corner was
flicked on by Gudmundsson as Smith doubled the lead from under the posts on
about fifteen minutes.
The goal of the match was a brilliant strike from the Herts XI striker on
the stroke of half time. Swiveling on the edge of the area he hit it first
time to leave Day with no chance.
A Daley run set up Cornock for the third with virtually his first touch of the
game, and a Gudmundsson penalty was converted for the fourth after the Igloo
Man (as Rupert described him) was brought down again.
Another Daley run and cross (he went onto the left wing for the second half)
was converted for the fifth, this time an own goal; and Perpetuini grabbed his
second with about ten minutes left.... but I was in the bar getting the beers
in!
This was a stroll, which pointed to who won't be playing on Saturday rather
than who will....
But Daley, albeit up against sh!t, was class.
