Watford - a little taste of Italy - they sit in an automatic promotion spot, average attendance 13,007.

Derby County - a little taste of Burton - we rest on our laurels midtable with an average attendance of 23,101.

The Hornets can play. Like steak knifes they cut through our rearguard, we part like a rare beef fillet, time and time again yet they can’t finish, the goal mouth beckons they stay hungry.

Matej Vydra forces a save from Adam Legzdins, Alex Geijo slices wide and Marco Cassetti calls Legzdins into action again. Perhaps Udinese really is a hole and they don’t want to go home!?

Encouraged by their waywardness in front of goal, we play too and for twenty minutes it’s end to end football on the grass but we struggle to create, Jamie Ward in a good position fires wide.

Free flowing football becomes hoofball, more even and even more predictable, Conor Sammon’s lack of first touch is as awkward as ever and a front two / three of Ward, Sammon and Michael Jacobs never really combine.

Just when we thought Watford would never score they do. Possession lost in midfield, Vydra powers on, his rasping shot beats the keeper, hits the post and runs along the goal line in front of us before finally snuggling the net inside the opposite post.

Ward and Manuel Aluminia tussle for the ball at the edge of the box, the keeper clears for a throw but then goes down to be replaced by Jonathan Bond. At least the delay offers the chance to grab a hot drink on a bitterly cold day.

Second half and Nigel Clough rings the changes. Jake Buxton comes on as a Centre Half with John Brayford moving to Right Back and Ben Davies switching to Left Back to replace the injured Michael Hoganson.

We are also treated to our first glimpse of Chris Martin in place of Jacobs, with Ward out wide and Martin between Sammon and the midfield.

First appearances on Martin, good points, excellent first touch and control, he looks for short passes and movement, an intelligent footballer, not so good in the air and seems to want the ball given too him more than be prepared to work to win it back however. The complete opposite to Sammon perhaps would give a fair picture.

More scrappy play ensues before the Hornets double their lead. A straightforward corner, curled in, a simple header, a goal, this time defender Joel Ekstrand, another Udinese loanee, unmarked, the scorer.

Minutes later we get a lifeline, our own corner, a push, the referee points to the spot. Ward scores and we have a chance.

The goal spurs the Rams on, encouraged by the small but vocal away support we play well. Mason Bennett replaces Sammon with Martin now a sole striker. In truth though we press everybody forward and had Wards leg been a tad longer we might have snuck a draw.

We weren’t outplayed and whilst we would have been lucky to claim a point, we left with our heads high.

The point though is how Watford can achieve what they do on their attendances and we underachieve on ours.

Nigel over to you.

Photo: Action Images

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