Watford 3 Leicester City 3 19.09.09

Watford vs. Leicester City has been an encounter in the past which has seen great drama. The Foxes 1-0 victory on the last day of the season to send us down, Watford’s 1-0 victory when playing for 60 odd minutes with 10 men, and this game was no different.

Watford handed a debut to Manchester United loanee Craig Cathcart who replaced the impressive Dale Bennett in the centre of defence, but otherwise kept with the same line up that played Plymouth in midweek. The return of Watford legend Hediar Helguson was to keep us waiting, with Watford’s new number 11 starting on the bench..

Leicester began brightly, as did Watford, both sides knocking the ball around well in the middle of the park with little end product in the final third. It took until a dodgy handball in the Watford box from John Eustace for the deadlock to be broken, Matty Fryatt scoring a straight forward penalty to put the Horns 1-0 down..

Watford were quickly 2 behind after some sloppy defending gave Matty Fryatt another opportunity to hit the back of the net, he did, and the Foxes were almost out of sight.

They say football is a game of two halves, whoever they are, they were right this time. A dismal performance brought about the change the Watford faithful had been waiting for, the re-emergence of 32 year old Heidar Helguson in Watford shirt. Greeted by a raptuous welcome that sent tingles down the back of the neck, we had no idea what was to come.

Watford raced out of the blocks, taking Leicester on at full throttle and within 10 minutes Danny Graham sent the ball into the net – game on. Without enough to time to gain our collective breath, the ball was in the back of the net again, Helguson had scored on his second debut, the Rookery went wild, hell even the Rous managed to cheer a bit and break out into song. What a return, 2-2.

Yet there he was again, getting his body in where it had no right to be, H nicked his second of the game, a dream come true for many of us and surely now three points were in the bag. Sadly, it was not to be. Leicester had been out of it until that third goal, and then seemed to galvanise to score a goal at the start of added time to seal a entertaining and mesmerising draw.

Watford – An unbelievable game, 2-0 down to 3-2 up to 3-3. Great entertainment, a hero’s return for H. We showed real passion in the second half and that is a quality we’ve lacked at times over the last 18 months. This young side have potential to be a good team, if we can cut out the last minute goals. But, the day was all about the Iceman coming home, let’s hope he’ll be fit enough to start against Reading next week.

Leicester – The Foxes have had a great start to the season and Nigel Pearson’s got them playing some great football. Matty Fryatt is their obvious goal threat, with ex-L***n forward Steve Horward not really all there, and you wonder how they’d get on without him, ok I think. They’ll end up in mid table with us i’d imagine.

Advertisement