Watson propels Reading past the Watford gap

Reading 1 Watford

Benefiting from a strange and fortunate goal and given the chance to succeed by a remarkable penalty save from their goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, Reading yesterday moved above their visitors to the Madejski Stadium and brought a clearer view of a play-off place.

Watford's promising position in the First Division has at times been a little difficult to justify. Most recently they struggled badly at home to Ipswich and created less than a handful of chances. Much depends on the speed of Jermaine Pennant who, nevertheless, too often confuses pace with timely movement. The offside law just seems to slip his mind but yesterday he worked on it more diligently.

Reading's impressive progress this season has in large measure come on the back of Nicky Forster's form. His goals and ingenuity have been invaluable. So his absence after a training injury was ominous. The team reverted to 4-4-2 and within three minutes seemed to be comfortable with the system that last season won them promotion. A quick, penetrating centre from Martin Butler skimmed past the outstretched foot of Jamie Cureton while Watford's defenders looked accusingly at each other.

Watford, though, started to drag the game out of Reading's early control and could easily have gone ahead in a strange 20th-minute incident. Pennant had drifted to the right and drove the ball across goal. Matthew Upson appeared to deflect it with his hand behind his own goalkeeper and into the net. Meanwhile, the referee had blown for the penalty which Neil Cox hit firmly but saw Hahnemann pull off a superb diving save. Ray Lewington, the Watford manager, said later the referee confirmed to him that he had blown before the ball crossed the line.

Once Pennant began to use his athleticism, Watford benefited considerably. None of the Reading midfield players regularly picked him up when he held back in midfield and his occasional sprints through the centre were spicy and troublesome. Indeed, a minute before half-time his running diverted attention away as Paul Robinson centred and Allan Nielsen turned the ball in, only to be called offside.

Reading ran up a succession of corners but could make nothing of them. Suddenly, though, after an hour, Kevin Watson took a chance on a shot from what he generously described afterwards as "acres of space" well outside the penalty area. The ball was deflected so deceptively that Alec Chamberlain was flat on his back as it flew over him and into an undefended net.

The encouragement lifted Reading's pace. The surprising introduction of Tony Rougier for Cureton, who had been outstanding and only a couple of minutes before had turned a corner on to the Watford crossbar, added width but the game was still on a knife's edge. Had Watford's finishing been appropriate to their possession they would have faced the final 15 minutes moderately confident of recovery. As it was Reading's captain, Adrian Williams, conducted his team with assurance.

Watford could claim that they were misrepresented in the manner in which they had conceded the only goal. Yet they had ample opportunities to turn their industry to better effect. Their failure to strike when the chances arose was familiar. Their own hopes of reaching the play-offs may well be determined by that inability. As for Reading, the fact that they achieved their important victory without the benefit of perhaps their most important player of the season indicated considerable resilience.

Reading 1 Watford 0
Watson 61

Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 17,465