Watford failed to go top of the Championship table, but the damage they did to Derby may be terminal.
Even with only 10 men for half the game, Watford were still good enough to fight back and take a point that makes them candidates for automatic promotion in this congested race for the Premier League. But Derby, without a win in seven games, all the way back to 24 February, are six points adrift of the top two and left grasping for a place in the play-offs.
Steve McClaren’s side sneaked back into the top six on goal difference with this point, but they needed more, much more, to stay in the race for automatic promotion this season. The plan was to avoid a possible repeat of last season’s play-off final heartache when Derby lost at Wembley to QPR, by going straight up.
McClaren has preached all through this dire run to keep calm, this was no crisis, all would turn out OK. But it does not look that way now.
“We have only ourselves to blame,” said McClaren. “We were doing well, it was all going to plan, we were against 10 men and we went 2-1 up. But we weren’t ruthless, we didn’t go for the third goal and kill it off.
“We have got ourselves into this mess. Now we must put that right at Wigan on Monday. There is anger and frustration. We must use that anger. The play-offs are still there for us.”
Derby were trailing to Matej Vydra’s gift-wrapped opener when they were handed an outstanding chance to get the monkey off their back by Marco Motta’s reckless challenge on Johnny Russell. The referee, Kevin Friend, decided the Watford defender had stopped a goalscoring chance and sent him off, before Darren Bent smashed in the resulting penalty.
When Tom Ince scored a magnificent solo goal, weaving and swerving through Watford’s massed defence, that ought to have been game, set and match for Derby. But they never looked assured as winners. There is a fragility about them, probably caused by only taking three points out of the last 21, and Adlène Guedioura took advantage of more defensive lapses to provide a superb pass for Odion Ighalo to equalise.
The draw leaves Watford would have become the Championship’s third leaders of the day if they had won, following Bournemouth and Middlesbrough. They are one point off the toptwo, play Boro on Monday, and Slavisa Jokanovic delighted: “With six games to go all the points are of double importance, and all the mistakes are of double importance.
“When we were down to ten players I had confidence . I am confident always in my team. My players believe they are a good team and they are good players. I am proud.”
Watford’s form is in total contrast to Derby’s, one defeat in eight games and six victories in that run, but Jokanovic refuses to write off the Rams as an automatic promotion team. “There are many teams at the top of the table, I don’t believe Derby are out it; quality manager, quality team,” said Jokanovic.
But he was just being kind to his host.
