Paul Smith and Ray Lo report from Vicarage Road, Watford.

BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP RESERVE LEAGUE (SOUTH)
WEDNESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY, 2004
WATFORD RESERVES 1 (0) SPURS RESERVES 1 (0)

Watford scorer:-
Blizzard, 72

Spurs scorer:-
Redknapp (pen), 55

Referee:- Mr.. M. McCoy

Attendance:- 439

Teams:-
Watford (4-4-2):- Lee; Watson, Blizzard, Doyley, Collins; Young (sub McNamee, 11), Fisken (Capt.), Swonnell, Cook (sub Coyne, 65); Norville, Dyer (sub Godfrey, 63)

Subs not used:- Diafutua, Boothe

Booked:- Lee (foul conceding penalty)

Spurs (4-4-2):- Burch; Mabizela, Kelly, Bunjevcevic, Ziege (sub McKie, 46); Anderton (sub Slabber, 59), Hughes, Redknapp (Capt.) (sub O'Hara, 78), Ricketts; Yeates, Barnard

Subs not used:- Hirschfeld; Dobson

No bookings

Honours were even in this competitive reserve fixture held at Vicarage Road, Watford, and the referee had a hand in both the goals. First, he was perhaps a little generous to Spurs, when awarding a penalty against goalkeeper Lee, when Mabizela had probably lost control of the ball running out of play. Lee was harshly booked before Jamie Redknapp slotted the kick. The referee gave the hosts a fighting chance when penalising a Spurs back pass and giving an indirect kick inside the Spurs area from which Blizzard ultimately equalised. It was a fair result on a cold and wet night, played on a bobbly surface which of course is used not only for football, but also for Rugby Union. Spurs players at all levels are used to truer surfaces!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the evening was the fitness of senior Spurs players returning to action, and at different stages of their current recoveries. Ziege was first to be replaced and must be in with the biggest chance of playing in Sunday's game at home to Leicester. Let's hope he plays in front of Taricco and not instead. Once again, Ziege's attacking prowess was seen to advantage tonight, but he was also one of those humbled by Watford substitute Anthony McNamee, who dazzled at times, and made you wonder why he was substitute, replacing the injured Young very early on.

Darren Anderton went off after an hour, and came closest to scoring, other than Redknapp's penalty. Skipper Jamie Redknapp stayed on till the last 10 minutes, and having now played his third comeback game, will be knocking on the manager's door very soon, no doubt.

One player who can rest easy is Kasey Keller, who probably wasn't watching tonight, but if he had have been, would have seen one of Rob Burch's least inspiring performances, as his handling and kicking were below par for most of the game. Spurs lined up with a central defensive pairing of Kelly and Bunjevcevic, flanked by Ziege on the left and Mabizela at right back. Mabizela looked as if he needs a little time settling back into the swing after his sojourn in Tunisia. Anderton was nominally on the right wing, but had the freedom to move inside, whilst Redknapp and Hughes took up duties in the middle with Ricketts on the left. That left Barnard and Yeates as the front two, with Slabber on the bench. So, a sprightly pairing on the pitch, whilst the big man sits it out. A comparison for Sunday, perhaps?

Watford featured Bruce Dyer up front, but otherwise they looked a pretty youthful outfit, although strong in defence, physically. That Ziege prowess was to the fore after only 4 minutes, as he whipped in a quick free kick beyond the back post, where Anderton hit a low driven volley that hit the bottom of the post on the right of goal, and bounced out harmlessly. Within minutes of replacing Young, McNamee demonstrated his skills from the right of the pitch as he hit a curling left footer that went beyond Burch but just round the far post.

Anderton took a free kick deep down the left side, which was flicked by a defender and had to be saved by Richard Lee at the foot of his right post. McNamee danced down the right wing after 19 minutes, and Burch failed to hold his cross, but the ball was cleared. At the other end, Ziege advanced down the middle and had a 1-2 with Barnard. However, it would have been an easy goal for a right footer, but Ziege wanted to use his left, and screwed the shot nearer the corner flag than the goal.

Redknapp was not being seen too much, and Burch's passing was not all it could have been, hence Watford were intercepting a lot of the time, with good drives forward from Swonnell and skipper Fisken. Watford would also often by-pass the midfield with longer balls which did give Bunjevcevic and Kelly plenty to think about. After 32 minutes Rohan Ricketts had a good opportunity, as he tried to take advantage of a poor high defensive pass back. Eventually, Rohan hit a left foot shot across the goal, outside the target. Barnard had a close range header blocked by the keeper and his defence after a handy Ziege corner, and then, from another Ziege corner, Redknapp charged forward and smacked a shot well outside the post.

McKie replaced Ziege at the interval, and apart from their penalty goal, there was little in the way of direct chances for Spurs. The penalty came when Mabizela (after a 1-2 with Ricketts) ran towards the bye-line on the edge of the 6 yard box to the keeper's left. Lee dived late, and Mabizela went down, although I felt the ball had already gone too far beyond him. Lee got booked for his trouble as well, as then having to face Redknapp's penalty kick which was fired convincingly to his left.

Swonnell hit a nice dipping shot, which was just over the corner of Burch's goal, and then in the 72nd minute, Watford got their equaliser after Burch instinctively picked up a powerful back pass (thought to be by Marcel McKie). The free kick was blocked by a wall of defenders on the line, but Blizzard fired home the rebound. Yeates had been pulled back to midfield, after Anderton's departure (before the Watford goal), and played some clever stuff under great pressure from the opposition. Spurs never managed to threaten the Watford goal though, and it was Fisken and Godfrey who had decent long-range efforts on the Spurs goal.

Rohan Ricketts demonstrated great skill controlling a high ball, but will have hoped Mr. Pleat was not looking in the latter stages as he stumbled and lost the ball in the middle of the park, when he should have kept control. I thought that Barnard played well with his back to goal, against stiff opposition, and McKie continues to make good progress. In difficult conditions, this was a decent result.

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