Hornets wild with delight
Cornick 6 (og), Pedro 54
TWO defensive howlers kept Watford’s play-off hopes alive as Chris Wilder’s side recorded their first win in five.
An own goal by Harry Cornick and a blooper by Bristol City keeper Max O’leary had Wilder celebrating after calling out his side after recent games.
He said: “A win on Saturday afternoon, we have waited a long time for one of them. We’ll enjoy our weekend.
“It was a tight game with more positives than negatives and it felt nice to win at home.
“We had a slice of luck when they hit the post and for the first time since I’ve been here we rode our luck.”
Joao Pedro was the architect of both goals, although he was as surprised as everyone else inside Vicarage Road to see a shot in either half nestle in the back of the City net.
The Brazilian turned on a sixth-minute free-kick to send in a cross-shot which Cornick somehow diverted into his own net.
Then, early in the second half, O’leary let another Pedro effort go through his legs.
That came moments after Hornets keeper Daniel Bachmann had made an outstanding save to claw away a Nahki Wells shot and then saw the striker’s follow-up header come back off the post.
Wells later struck the top of the bar with a sumptuous dipping free-kick.
City boss Nigel Pearson said: “We played well. We created lots of opportunities.
“Their keeper made some good saves.” WATFORD: Bachmann 8; Andrews 7 (Asprilla (85) 5), Porteous 7, Hoedt 6, Kamara 5; Bacuna 5 (Kone (46) 6), Choudhury 9, Louza 6; Sarr 6 (Ngakia (76) 6), Davis 6 (Sema (62) 6), Pedro 8 BRISTOL CITY: O’leary 4; Tanner 5, Vyner 6 (Mehmeti (75) 6), Pring 6, Dasilva 5; James 7, King 6 (Naismith (63) 7); Cornick 5 (Scott (56) 7), Weimann 7, Bell 6 (Conway (76) 6); Wells 7 STAR MAN: Hamza Choudhury – Tenacious in the tackle throughout and with an energy that continually snuffed out City attacks.
Dean Whitestone 6