Helguson header ends Watford's winless run
Watford 2 Norwich City 1
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Your support makes all the difference.A goal from Heidar Helguson in injury time gave Watford their first victory in five games and put a dent in Norwich's automatic promotion ambitions.
Norwich's drive for a place in the Premiership has been hampered by their poor away form but their manager, Nigel Worthington, insisted he was happy with his side's performance yesterday.
"I'm not worried about the away form if we play like that," he said. "I thought after we had got back on terms we would go on and win but for some reason we failed to do so. But there were a lot of plusses and positives in this performance."
They certainly had the better of things early on. Watford, coming off a 4-0 mauling by Millwall, were frantic and desperate but the visitors created the clearer chances, David Nielsen heading across the face of goal from a Mark Rivers centre and then having a close-range shot blocked at the near post by Alec Chamberlain. Norwich went closer still when Phil Mulryne headed against the post from a Darel Russell centre.
The visitors would regret their failure to take advantage of their early superiority when Watford took the lead just before the interval. Their on-loan Gunner Jermaine Pennant got behind the defence and crossed for Micah Hyde to set up Allan Nielsen, who drilled the ball hard and low into the net from 10 yards.
But Watford's lead survived for only eight minutes of the second half, with Norwich benefiting from a fortunate deflection. A diagonal cross from Mulryne, which appeared to be going wide, struck Watford's captain Neil Cox on a knee and bounced inside the post.
Watford, who had displayed plenty of huff and puff, were briefly stunned by the setback but soon regained the momentum and pressed Norwich back. Helguson headed straight at Robert Green from one cross and then, after being set up by substitute Tommy Smith, shot straight at City's goalkeeper.
The winner came as the game moved into the first of six minutes of injury-time. A corner by Anthony McNamee was met by the rising Helguson and the Iceland international headed home powerfully.
Goals: Nielsen (45) 1-0; Cox og (53) 1-1; Helguson (90) 2-1.
Watford: Chamberlain, Ardley, Cox, Gayle, Robinson, Pennant, Vernazza (Mahon, 90), Hyde, A Nielsen (McNamee, 79), Noel-Williams (T Smith, 61), Helguson. Substitutes not used: Brown, Lee (gk).
Norwich City: Green, Kenton, Mackay, Fleming, Russell (Henderson 90), Drury, Rivers (Llewellyn, 79), Holt, D Nielsen, Mulryne, Roberts (Abbey, 89). Substitutes not used: Briggs, Crichton (gk).
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
Bookings: Watford: Vernazza, A Nielsen, Robinson. Norwich: Russell.
Man of the match: A Nielsen.
Attendance: 13,338.
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