Date:19 Nov 2011
Kick-off:15:00
Venue:Vicarage Road Stadium
Attendance:12,864

Kightly (1) Sordell (44)

Goal!

Live Commentary

93mins Unfair challenge on Troy Deeney by Abdul Razak results in a free kick. Direct strike on goal from the free kick comes in from Mark Yeates, blocked by Dave Kitson. Inswinging corner taken by Mark Yeates from the left by-line played to the near post, clearance by Benjani Mwaruwari.

92mins The ball is sent over by Mark Yeates, Greg Halford manages to make a clearance.

91mins Mark Yeates has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the right of the goal.

88mins Foul by Nyron Nosworthy on Dave Kitson, free kick awarded. Erik Huseklepp produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick, Scott Loach makes a save.

86mins Jonathan Hogg concedes a free kick for a foul on Hayden Mullins. Direct free kick taken by Hayden Mullins. Foul by Jonathan Hogg on Erik Huseklepp, free kick awarded. The ball is delivered by Erik Huseklepp, Header from close in by Dave Kitson misses to the left of the target.

83mins Unfair challenge on Mark Yeates by Benjani Mwaruwari results in a free kick. Lee Hodson takes the free kick.

83mins The referee gives a free kick against Benjani Mwaruwari for handball. Free kick taken by Scott Loach.

82mins Michael Kightly goes off and Troy Deeney comes on.

81mins Unfair challenge on Luke Varney by Carl Dickinson results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Ricardo Rocha.

80mins The offside flag is raised against Benjani Mwaruwari. Scott Loach takes the direct free kick.

79mins Erik Huseklepp takes the inswinging corner, Luke Varney takes a shot. Save by Scott Loach.

78mins Unfair challenge on Marvin Sordell by Abdul Razak results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Mark Yeates.

76mins A cross is delivered by Joel Ward, clearance made by Nyron Nosworthy.

75mins Mark Yeates is penalised for a handball. Free kick taken by Abdul Razak.

74mins Jonathan Hogg concedes a free kick for a foul on Abdul Razak. Booking for Jonathan Hogg for unsporting behaviour. Stephen Henderson restarts play with the free kick.

71mins Corner taken right-footed by Carl Dickinson from the right by-line, Foul by Chris Iwelumo on Joel Ward, free kick awarded. Stephen Henderson takes the free kick.

70mins Abdul Razak replaces David Norris.

68mins Mark Yeates crosses the ball, blocked by Jason Pearce. Inswinging corner taken by Mark Yeates from the right by-line, Dave Kitson manages to make a clearance. Lee Hodson produces a cross, Marvin Sordell has a header from inside the six-yard box and clears the crossbar.

67mins Erik Huseklepp sends in a cross.

66mins The referee blows for offside against Benjani Mwaruwari. Scott Loach takes the free kick. Unfair challenge on Ricardo Rocha by Chris Iwelumo results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Stephen Henderson.

65mins Greg Halford produces a cross.

64mins Marvin Sordell gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Joel Ward. Stephen Henderson restarts play with the free kick.

62mins Ricardo Rocha gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Chris Iwelumo. Free kick crossed right-footed by Mark Yeates from left channel, Stephen Henderson makes a save.

60mins Unfair challenge on David Norris by Michael Kightly results in a free kick. Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Greg Halford.

58mins Mark Yeates crosses the ball, Ricardo Rocha gets a block in. Mark Yeates takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, Benjani Mwaruwari makes a clearance.

56mins The referee shows Dave Kitson a yellow card. Dave Kitson challenges Lee Hodson unfairly and gives away a free kick. Lee Hodson takes the free kick.

56mins Effort from inside the area by Marvin Sordell misses to the right of the goal.

55mins Centre by Luke Varney, clearance made by Adrian Mariappa. Michael Kightly challenges Greg Halford unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by Erik Huseklepp from right channel, Jonathan Hogg manages to make a clearance.

53mins Mark Yeates takes a shot. Jason Pearce gets a block in.

51mins Greg Halford challenges Michael Kightly unfairly and gives away a free kick. Scott Loach takes the direct free kick.

49mins The offside flag is raised against Benjani Mwaruwari. Direct free kick taken by Scott Loach.

48mins Prince Buaben takes a shot. Jason Pearce gets a block in. Corner from right by-line taken by Mark Yeates. Carl Dickinson crosses the ball, save made by Stephen Henderson.

47mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luke Varney by Chris Iwelumo. Direct free kick taken by Stephen Henderson.

46mins Effort from just outside the area by Dave Kitson goes over the bar.

45mins Marvin Sordell has shot on goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.

45mins Tal Ben-Haim goes off and Benjani Mwaruwari comes on.

46mins Dave Kitson produces a left-footed shot from just outside the box that goes wide right of the goal.

44mins Outswinging corner taken by Mark Yeates from the right by-line, Marvin Sordell gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the box low into the middle of the goal. Watford 2-0 Portsmouth.Assist on the goal came from Mark Yeates.

43mins Lee Hodson produces a cross, clearance by Tal Ben-Haim.

42mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Joel Ward by Jonathan Hogg. Free kick taken by Greg Halford.

41mins Unfair challenge on Dave Kitson by Jonathan Hogg results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Greg Halford.

40mins Inswinging corner taken by Erik Huseklepp.

39mins Chris Iwelumo concedes a free kick for a foul on Tal Ben-Haim. Erik Huseklepp crosses the ball in from the free kick, Adrian Mariappa manages to make a clearance.

39mins Erik Huseklepp sends in a cross, clearance by Carl Dickinson.

37mins The offside flag is raised against Luke Varney. Free kick taken by Nyron Nosworthy.

35mins The official flags David Norris offside. Scott Loach restarts play with the free kick.

34mins Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Erik Huseklepp from the left by-line, Chris Iwelumo makes a clearance.

34mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Tal Ben-Haim by Chris Iwelumo. Jason Pearce takes the direct free kick.

31mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Chris Iwelumo by Jason Pearce. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Mark Yeates. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jason Pearce by Chris Iwelumo. Stephen Henderson takes the free kick.

30mins Corner taken by Mark Yeates played to the near post, Luke Varney makes a clearance.

30mins Lee Hodson fouled by Tal Ben-Haim, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Mark Yeates. A cross is delivered by Mark Yeates, save by Stephen Henderson.

27mins The offside flag is raised against Luke Varney. Free kick taken by Scott Loach.

25mins Centre by Lee Hodson, Marvin Sordell produces a right-footed shot from inside the area that clears the crossbar.

23mins Jonathan Hogg crosses the ball, clearance by Ricardo Rocha. Centre by Michael Kightly.

21mins Unfair challenge on Hayden Mullins by Jonathan Hogg results in a free kick. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Erik Huseklepp from right channel.

21mins Luke Varney produces a cross, Carl Dickinson manages to make a clearance.

18mins Dave Kitson fouled by Carl Dickinson, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Stephen Henderson.

18mins The ball is sent over by Lee Hodson, Jason Pearce manages to make a clearance.

17mins The ball is crossed by Marvin Sordell.

16mins Michael Kightly produces a cross, Jason Pearce makes a clearance.

16mins Michael Kightly crosses the ball, Greg Halford manages to make a clearance.

16mins The ball is delivered by Marvin Sordell, clearance made by Jason Pearce.

15mins Marvin Sordell takes a shot. Save by Stephen Henderson.

13mins Michael Kightly produces a right-footed shot from deep inside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.

13mins Centre by Lee Hodson, clearance by Jason Pearce.

9mins Effort from deep inside the area by Prince Buaben clears the bar. The ball is delivered by Stephen Henderson. Adrian Mariappa fouled by David Norris, the ref awards a free kick. Scott Loach takes the free kick.

7mins Luke Varney delivers the ball, Nyron Nosworthy manages to make a clearance.

7mins The ball is delivered by Michael Kightly, save made by Stephen Henderson.

6mins Centre by Erik Huseklepp, Jonathan Hogg manages to make a clearance.

5mins Foul by Michael Kightly on Greg Halford, free kick awarded. Stephen Henderson takes the free kick.

4mins Luke Varney takes a shot. Save made by Scott Loach.

3mins Luke Varney has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the right of the goal.

2mins Dave Kitson challenges Adrian Mariappa unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Scott Loach.

1mins Michael Kightly finds the back of the net with a goal from outside the area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Watford 1-0 Portsmouth.

1mins Centre by Michael Kightly, clearance by Tal Ben-Haim.

Match Preview

Skipper returns for Hornets Watford captain John Eustace comes back into contention for the visit of Portsmouth. The midfielder has missed the club`s last three games with a back injury but has used the international break to regain his fitness. However, influential defender Lloyd Doyley has not progressed as quickly with his recovery from a thigh problem and remains a doubt against Pompey. Michael Kightly missed the 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough last time out with a recurrence of his hamstring injury but has trained and is in contention, while fit-again loan striker Craig Beattie replaced the winger on the bench at the Riverside. Centre-back Martin Taylor remains in the treatment room as he continues his rehabilitation from collarbone surgery, while midfielder Stephen McGinn is also battling back from his long-term knee injury. The Hornets will be looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to Boro ended a welcome run of back-to-back victories against Peterborough and Brighton, both of which came at Vicarage Road. Liam Lawrence remains an injury doubt for Michael Appleton's first game in charge of Portsmouth. The midfielder missed Pompey's win over Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago with an ankle injury which also forced him out of the Republic of Ireland squad. If Lawrence is unavailable, Appleton could stick with the side which beat his predecessor Steve Cotterill's Forest 3-0. Striker Benjani returned from a hamstring injury as a late substitute and should be involved again, while youngsters Lewis Tallack and Lewis Stockford are back from loan spells in non-league. Defender Hermann Hriedarsson is having treatment on an Achilles problem and loanee Bjorn Helge Riise, who was on the bench against Forest, has gone back to Fulham.

Formation:442Manager: Sean Dyche

Watford

Formation: 442Manager: Michael Appleton

Portsmouth

Scott Loach
Lee Hodson
Adrian Mariappa
Nyron Nosworthy
Carl Dickinson
Mark Yeates
Michael Kightly
Prince Buaben
Jonathan Hogg
Marvin Sordell
Chris Iwelumo
SUBS
Rene Gilmartin
John Eustace
Troy Deeney
David Mirfin
Craig Beattie

Home

Away

Stephen Henderson
Greg Halford
Ricardo Rocha
Jason Pearce
Tal Ben-Haim
Joel Ward
Hayden Mullins
Erik Huseklepp
David Norris
Luke Varney
Dave Kitson
SUBS
Jamie Ashdown
Aaron Mokoena
Abdul Razak
Benjani Mwaruwari
Nwankwo Kanu

Match Report

Appleton debut stung by Hornets Michael Appleton's reign as Portsmouth manager got off to a disappointing start as Watford secured a deserved 2-0 victory at Vicarage Road. The 35-year-old was recently named as Steve Cotterill's successor at the Fratton Park helm, but could not spur Pompey to their first away victory of the season. Watford looked impressive from the outset and were set on the way to a third victory in four matches inside two minutes when Michael Kightly netted his first goal in two and a half years. The home side dominated the first period and deservedly doubled their advantage just before half-time, with Marvin Sordell volleying home exquisitely from Mark Yeates' corner. Watford continued strongly in the second period and only wayward finishing prevented them extending their lead further against a lacklustre Portsmouth, who failed to test goalkeeper Scott Loach with any regularity. Appleton brought in Joel Ward for on-loan Abdul Razak, while Hornets boss Sean Dyche also made one change. Kightly replaced Troy Deeney in the starting line-up and the change paid dividends within two minutes. The on-loan Wolves winger found space on the left flank and put the home side ahead with a speculative drive that beat Stephen Henderson from 25 yards. The visitors pushed forward in numbers, but could have soon conceded a second if Prince Buaben had shown more composure in front of goal. Kightly then hit the side netting as Watford pressed, before Sordell blasted over and Henderson tipped over Yeates's cross-cum-shot. While Pompey looked poor in defence, they were comfortable in possession and only a last-ditch challenge from Nyron Nosworthy thwarted Luke Varney when clear on goal. Erik Huseklepp then saw his cross somehow deflected behind before Watford doubled their advantage just before the break as Sordell caught Yeates's corner on the volley. Dyche's men continued in the ascendancy after the break, with Buaben seeing a shot deflected over before Sordell came close. The match began to slow as the half wore on, with Greg Halford curling a free-kick just wide before Yeates almost deceived Henderson with a set piece of his own. Watford were still edging proceedings and Sordell missed a clear-cut chance in the 69th minute when he flicked a header over from close range. Luke Varney's flicked header forced Loach into his first save of the match with less than 10 minutes remaining, and Loach was again called into action to thwart a Huseklepp free-kick in the 90th minute, but that was as good as it got for the 1,727 visiting fans.

Form Guide

LLLWWL Watford VS Portsmouth WLWLDW

Last Meetings

Watford 3 - 0 Portsmouth 01/01/2011 Portsmouth 3 - 2 Watford 16/10/2010 Watford 2 - 2 Portsmouth 01/01/2003 Portsmouth 3 - 0 Watford 24/08/2002 Portsmouth 0 - 1 Watford 13/04/2002 Watford 3 - 0 Portsmouth 25/11/2001

Top Scorers

Watford M Yeates 3 M Sordell 3 C Forsyth 2 J Eustace 1 M Taylor 1 C Iwelumo 1 C Dickinson 1 T Deeney 1 Portsmouth L Varney 5 D Norris 3 D Kitson 3 E Huseklepp 3 N Kanu 1 B Mwaruwari 1 J Pearce 1

Goals

Watford Total goals 41 Goals per game 15 1 (For) 1 (Against) Period 0-10 mins 1 (For) 2 (Against) Period 11-20 mins (For) 1 (Against) Period 21-30 mins 4 (For) 3 (Against) Period 31-40 mins 1 (For) 2 (Against) Period 41-50 mins 2 (For) 4 (Against) Period 51-60 mins 1 (For) 5 (Against) Period 61-70 mins 3 (For) 2 (Against) Period 71-80 mins 2 (For) 6 (Against) Period 81-90 mins Portsmouth Total goals 45 Goals per game 19 3 (For) 3 (Against) Period 0-10 mins (For) 3 (Against) Period 11-20 mins (For) 3 (Against) Period 21-30 mins (For) 1 (Against) Period 31-40 mins 2 (For) 1 (Against) Period 41-50 mins 3 (For) 2 (Against) Period 51-60 mins 3 (For) 1 (Against) Period 61-70 mins 4 (For) 3 (Against) Period 71-80 mins 4 (For) 1 (Against) Period 81-90 mins