Watford v Doncaster Preview

Posted on | November 28, 2008 | No Comments

This is Brendan Rodgers first game in charge of Watford and it couldn’t get much bigger, with the Hornets facing fellow-strugglers Doncaster Rovers. Watford’s impressive victory over QPR gave them some breathing space in the relegation picture although they’re still only five points in front of Donny so this fixture is quite significant for both sides.

Even though this is his first game in charge, it’s clear that Brendan Rodgers’ presence has had a huge impact on Watford. They’ve faced two play off hopefuls in QPR and Bristol City and collected four points, which is a great return considering how badly they were performing a few weeks ago. However, they’re only just outside of the drop zone and with Doncaster trailing them by five points; they’re by no means in the clear. Rodgers has already tried to stamp his authority on the club by bringing in Liam Bridcutt on loan, presumably after working with him with former club Chelsea. No doubt that he’ll probably be one of a few young Blues players heading t to Vicarage Road over the next few months as Rodgers attempts to drag them out of this relegation mess in his first job in management.

Doncaster’s form of late has been mildly encouraging, with Rovers unbeaten in three having beaten Ipswich and drawn against Burnley and Nottingham Forest. However, the Keepmoat Stadium side are still rooted in 23^rd position – five points away from safety. There has been some good news this week with Sean O’Driscoll managing to lay his hands on a new striker. Steve Brooker arrived on a three month loan deal on Thursday and O’Driscoll will be hoping that he will solve the club’s obvious goal scoring problems. Having scored a truly awful eight goals in total this season, it’s clear where their problems lie and should Brooker manage to stay fit, he could prove to be a clever signing.

As for team news, Brendan Rodgers has some light relief between the sticks heading into this one. The Hornets have had just one senior goalkeeper available for much of the season, but Scott Loach has now returned to fitness and can challenge Richard Lee for the number one jersey. Other than that there isn’t much to report, with new loan signing Liam Bridcutt available and hoping for a debut start. As for Doncaster, it looks as though they will be without James Hayter who is struggling with a knee problem. However, after signing on loan on Thursday, Steve Brooker looks set for a start and will probably act as a direct replacement for Hayter.

We can see nothing but a Watford win for this one. The Hornets have got two good results under their belt and with this being Brendan Rodgers’ first proper game in charge, he’ll probably go through the same “honeymoon” period that most managers go through. It’s a home win – 2-0.

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1. Watford v Doncaster Preview
2. Doncaster v Watford Preview
3. Derby v Watford Preview
4. Norwich v Watford Preview
5. Doncaster v Watford Preview

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