First point in five away outings for Hornets (From This Is Local London)

Watford's trip to Doncaster Rovers ends goalless

4:58pm Saturday 26th November 2011 in Watford FC - Match Reports By Anthony Matthews

Watford were unable to make it four wins out of five games but they did win their first point on the road in five away outings with a 0-0 draw at Championship basement side Doncaster Rovers.

An entertaining first half became more of a battle in the second period, with the number of chances diminishing as a result. But the Hornets had the better of those in the opening 45 minutes, with Adrian Mariappa, Mark Yeates and Michael Kightly enjoying the pick, while another determined display at the back saw the Hornets travel back south with a third clean sheet in four matches.

Sean Dyche made just the one enforced change from the side that beat Portsmouth last weekend, with skipper John Eustace returning to replace the suspended Jonathan Hogg. There was also a first outing on the bench for Academy keeper Jack Bonham following Rene Gilmartin’s loan move to Yeovil Town and with Jonathan Bond still at Forest Green Rovers.

Doncaster had been busy in the loan market in the build-up to the game and Dean Saunders gave debuts to all three of his new acquisitions – Habib Beye, Darryl Herold Goulon and Marc Antoine Fortune.

Watford had the first opportunity to test the home side’s backline when they were awarded a free-kick on the right in the third minute. Although Yeates’ set piece was headed out towards the opposite flank, Eustace kept the ball alive and struck a good left-footed cross but keeper Carl Ikeme was able to claim it on the stretch.

Scott Loach should have at least been tested for the first time soon after when Rovers captain El Hadji Diouf swung over a fine cross from the right and Billy Sharp looked destined to have a free header, but the striker mistimed his attempt and the ball was cleared.

The first attempt of the game went Watford’s way in the ninth minute when the ball was played up to Marvin Sordell on the edge of the area and he brought it under control before hitting a left-footed shot but Ikeme was right behind it.

Doncaster had their first effort four minutes later when Carl Dickinson got his body in the way of Simon Gillett’s on-target effort, with Loach already diving away to his right to make the save.

But the Hornets went closer to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute when, from their first corner, Iwelumo helped the ball on at the near post and Mariappa hit a shot on the turn from around ten yards out that struck Sam Hird and went over his own bar.

Having gone so close to taking the lead, Watford very nearly went behind moments later when Diouf played a superb low centre from the right towards the back post but an outstretched Hornets limb just managed to nick the ball away from two opponents.

Both sides had been in an attacking mood from the outset and Ikeme was called into action again in the 22nd minute, making a spectacular one-handed save to keep out Yeates’ well executed left-footed half-volley from the right edge of the area.

Next, Ikeme had to go to ground to his right to keep out an Iwelumo downward header from a deep Eustace cross in contest in which neither side was able to get on top for any length of time.

Watford went close again in the 35th minute when Kightly attacked from the left before striking a right-footed curler that went narrowly wide of the far post. But Dyche was forced into a change two minutes later when Sordell, who had previously received treatment for a leg injury, was unable to run it off and made way for Craig Beattie.

The Hornets should have troubled the Rovers goal again two minutes before the break when a Dickinson clearance was worked up to Kightly, who slipped in Iwelumo in space in the area but the forward sliced his first-time effort harmlessly over as the opening period ended goalless.

Doncaster had the first semblance of an opportunity after the break when Sharp was unable to wrap his foot around a difficult chance, with the ball dropping over his shoulder from a high Herita Ilunga cross.

However, some of the Rovers fans thought Sharp had given their side the lead moments later when he lifted the ball over Loach after getting in between two opponents following a flick on, but his effort landed wide of the post.

Tempers then started to get frayed, with Iwelumo particularly – and justifiably – annoyed after Ilunga dived before Beye picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Beattie.

Rovers suffered a blow on the hour-mark when Diouf was forced off with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Giles Barnes. But it was their opponents who had the next opening when Prince Buaben nicked the ball through to Kightly, who ran at the defence but chose to go it alone, with Iwelumo and Beattie either side and ahead of him, and fired over from the edge of the box.

Goulon’s debut ended in the 71st minute when he made way for Kyle Benett and his first real involvement was to shoot over from 18 yards out.

Troy Deeney entered the action with 13 minutes to go in place of Iwelumo and then Saunders played his final card, bringing on James Hayter for Brian Stock, but the second half continued to lack the chances seen in the opening 45 minutes.

And that pattern continued into the closing stages, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

Doncaster Rovers: Ikeme; O’Connor, Hird, Beye, Ilunga; Gillett, Stock (Hayter 84), Goulon (Bennett 71); Sharp, Fortune, Diouf (Barnes 62). Not used: Sullivan and Dumbuya.

Watford: Loach; Hodson, Nosworthy, Mariappa, Dickinson; Yeates, Eustace, Buaben, Kightly; Sordell (Beattie 37), Iwelumo (Deeney 77). Not used: Jenkins, Mirfin and Bonham.

Bookings: Beye for a foul on Beattie (56).

Attendance: 8,389.

Referee: Paul Tierney.