Stevenage Borough 1(4)-1(3) Watford Fc - League Cup First Round

Good!!

It's a stupid competition, and it was a stupid decision to play the first team to begin with.

For everyone worrying about squad depth - and given the length of the season with the extra minutes each match that will need to be played - we shouldn't be wasting our players on unnecessary games such as these.

Let's just hope that Ngakia's injury wasn't serious, as for once we could end up with too few right backs.

And as per my post above - cup results are meaningless with regards to the league. I wouldn't be getting particularly worried or excited whatever the result had turned out to be.

 

Normal service resumed.

 

‘Interesting’ that our first 3 penalties taken by our CB’s.

 

Let's go hornets!

 

As early League Cup exits to lower league opposition go, this one was pretty par for the course. A bonus pre season game (sadly for this tournament).

 

Apart from Brum away in the 1999 play-offs, have we ever won a penalty shootout?

 

League One.

 

Pozzo makes me sick, he's given Ismael a group of players that can't even handle a weakened League One team.

 

Savour it, Saturday must have been difficult.

 

Has next to nothing to do with Saturday

 

I think that’s what they call “throwing the game”.

I don’t *think* VI saw this anymore than an extra pre-season game for the starting 11.

Worrying if we were trying, but it sounds like we weren’t.

Either way, we’re in for a treat with Uncle Ron on twitter.

 

Oh well.

Thought we would smash them. Was looking that way going 1-0 up early. But we reverted back to last season and rather than push on and get a second, took the foot off the pedal and got found out.

Bayo is not the answer. Yes he scored, but he is not clinical. We need better. His miss is atrocious.

Sema is not the answer as a RW. He’s very poor in that position. Asprilla would be far better.

TDB is not the answer next to Louza. A new CM is needed.

Hamer as a back up is frightening. We should be signing a new GK ASAP.

Gino and the board need to bring in 4-5 players before the window slams shut.

 

Thank god they scrapped Extra Time in this cup

Next!

 

Hmmm, on the face of it, losing to lower league opposition is normal for us, but with what is currently a full-strength side is a little bit concerning! I suppose even though Plymouth are the better side, Stevenage would have provided a very different challenge to that which Plymouth will, hopefully that, and the fact that we're at home on Saturday, will play into our hands more, and hopefully we do fill out the squad a bit!

 

Ah yes, the game Bachmann announced himself to us, come to think of it, I vaguely remember the Accy Stanley game too as the guy who scored the winning penalty went to my school, my form tutor was very proud!

 

Anyone come out with any credit?

 

Our first, first round knock out in 10 years, ironically to a lower league side losing on pens after drawing 1-1.

Only the second time in 20 years we’ve gone out at round one.

 

sAtUrDaY mUsT hAvE bEeN dIfFiCuLt

 

The chips served in the away end were piping hot.

 

Except in 2019 when, according to some, reaching Wembley in the FA Cup was our undoing and we’d have finished 7th if it hadn’t been for the cup run, of course!

 

looks like you're also finding today difficult

 

Success!

 

A point away is never a bad thing. The good start continues.

 

We lost m8. 4-5. High scoring dirty game - loads of pens. Lucky to finish with 11 players in the pitch.

 

Another pre season game ticked off more minutes in the tank nothing to see here, move on to Saturday and,another 3 points

 

Heading is wrong ? We lost 4-3 on pens didn’t we.

 

That was basically the only exception I can recall in living memory - except it actually worked in reverse of the way most people who talk about cup games on here claim is supposed to happen.

People on here are often spouting nonsense about how wins in cup games supposedly help build confidence, and cup defeats can be damaging blows. However, with that FA Cup run all that happened was that our successful run in the competition burned our players out, and the prospect of a final didn't boost their confidence in the league but rather meant they took their focus away from it.

 

The only positive was the excellent shoutbox and the speed at updating on the penalties was top rate.

Losing to a div 2 team is worrying. I do not buy into the argument that it is akin to a pre season friendly or a Micky Mouse cup. We should be winning these games, particularly with a strong team out.

It might give VI some bargaining power in terms of recruiting more quality as our current strongest first 11, could not defeat a tier 4 team.

Just as we should not get carried away with the big win on Saturday, this game tonight will not make or break our season, but it certainly drags down the mood and optimism somewhat.

What can you say? The life of a Watford fan is never straightforward.

 

Tough place to go on a Tuesday night against a partisan crowd. Take the point and move on.

 

They are League one, tier 3.

 

Unbeaten. So far this season. Win at home. Draw away. Promotion form.