PREMIER CLASS
Watford win then celebrate promotion on the way home
IT was sealed with the team coach having trundled along the M25, but the surroundings matter not. Watford will be keeping esteemed company in the Premier League next season.
The first-team squad gathered around mobile phones on their bus as the goals flew in at Fulham, with Middlesbrough’s stoppage-time capitulation in west London confirming promotion to the top flight after this dramatic win in Brighton.
There were near misses, sharp intakes of breath and hearts in mouths but Watford’s extraordinary quality going forward meant they kept their side of the bargain.
In an unlikely turn of events befitting this absurdly exciting division, so too did lowly Fulham and Rotherham, the latter crucially holding Norwich to a draw.
They were made to work by Brighton, who saw Chris O’Grady, Dale Stephens and Joe Bennett miss excellent chances in a chaotic last 10 minutes.
As Matej Vydra swept in a clinching second deep into stoppage time, Slavisa Jokanovic and almost the entire of his bench spilled on to the Amex pitch. The relief palpable, the reality very exciting indeed.
It had been a nervous 71 minutes after Troy Deeney slammed in the opener and the outpouring extended to their colourful 3,199 travelling supporters. Up went the confetti, balloons, inflatable bananas and beach balls. It was as if they knew what was to come later in the day.
Every member of the squad and backroom staff went over to salute their followers at full-time. Deeney threw his boots into the crowd.
Hardly vintage, but enough. Jokanovic showed exactly how his snap decisions can influence games, which will serve them well next season should they achieve promotion.
The Serbian had seen enough after an attritional first 26 minutes, their five-man midfield not dominating this fixture as it ought to have.
He sacrificed Ikechi Anya and introduced Daniel Tozser. The game changed. ‘Brighton found a lot of spaces in wide positions,’ Jokanovic said. ‘I changed our structure and find more control of the game.’ They had switched to a diamond and led just three minutes later, Almen Abdi’s advanced presence confusing Brighton momentarily. It was left to Deeney to emphatically pounce on indecisive defending.
After surviving an onslaught of sorts, Watford’s wicked counterattacking ways saw Deeney find Vydra to cap off an afternoon to show just why they are up.