Watford 1-1 Wigan
Watford and Wigan will have to replay this match after they were
forced off 11 minutes into the second half with the score 1-1
because heavy rain made the pitch impossible to play on.
With players unable to keep their balance or judge their passes,
referee Steve Tanner sent them to the dressing rooms in the 56th
minute and the match was officially abandoned at 4:32pm.
During the play that was possible, Emile Heskey had given Wigan the
lead in the 23rd minute, with Tamas Priskin heading the equaliser -
his first goal for the Hornets - a minute before half-time.
But those statistics are almost certain to be erased as the clubs
seek a new date for the fixture in 2007.
The outcome does little to aid Watford's fight against relegation,
as they began the day nine points adrift of safety in the Barclays
Premiership.
Wigan boss Paul Jewell made four changes to his starting line-up,
with skipper Arjan de Zeeuw, Denny Landzaat, David Cotterill and
Josip Skoko all returning.
For Watford, Priskin made his first Barclays Premiership start of
the season in place of the injured Hameur Bouazza.
Watford believe luck has deserted them this season and fortune
worked against them once more in the 10th minute.
The Hornets won a free-kick 22 yards from goal after Emmerson Boyce
had handled the ball and Ashley Young's curling effort beat Chris
Kirkland's dive but bounced back off the left post.
When Anthony McNamee turned the loose ball back into the danger
zone, Jay DeMerit struck it goalwards - only to see it rebound off
team-mate Priskin.
Priskin himself wasted a good chance in the 13th minute, showing
neat footwork to beat Leighton Baines on the right before guiding a
tame effort well wide of Kirkland's right post.
As has happened so often this term, Watford were punished for
failing to take their chances.
In the 23rd minute Kevin Kilbane crossed from the left and Heskey
held off Dan Shittu too easily before turning and firing low into
the bottom right corner from 12 yards.
The goal gave Wigan confidence, and they began to pass the ball
with greater belief and precision.
In the 34th minute Ben Foster pushed away a powerful low 30-yard
shot from Heskey before clutching the ball at the second
attempt.
Three minutes later Watford had DeMerit to thank for an excellent
sliding tackle on Baines after Cotterill's perceptive pass had
found the overlapping left-back inside the Watford penalty
area.
Wigan thought momentarily they had doubled their lead in the 40th
minute when Landzaat steered Svetoslav Todorov's left-wing cross
past Foster from six yards, but the Dutchman was denied by the
offside flag.
Against the run of play Watford conjured an equaliser in the 44th
minute, Priskin's header from Gavin Mahon's left-wing cross just
beating Kirkland's dive.
The rain, which had persisted throughout the first half, began to
fall considerably harder at the start of the second half, making it
extremely difficult for the players to keep their balance or judge
their passes.
In the 47th minute Todorov fell inside the box under pressure from
Gavin Mahon, but referee Tanner was not convinced and showed the
Bulgarian the yellow card.
The conditions made sliding tackles almost impossible to time
correctly, as Mahon discovered in the 50th minute when he felled
Cotterill 25 yards from goal, but Baines fired wide.
Wigan manager Jewell and Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd both spoke
to fourth official Graham Poll early in the second half - with
Jewell also remonstrating with Tanner - as the pitch slowly turned
into a mudbath.
It was not the weather for back-passes as Shittu almost discovered
in the 55th minute when he forced Foster into a hurried clearance
as Todorov bore down on the loose ball.
In the 56th minute Tanner decided enough was enough and sent the
players to the dressing rooms for an initial 10 minutes, with the
match eventually called off shortly afterwards.
During the interval both Jewell and Boothroyd had stepped onto the
pitch, with Jewell kicking the ball towards the Watford goal to
demonstrate the farcical nature of the conditions.
Boothroyd went one better, throwing the ball in the air, only to
see it land in a muddy patch without bouncing, before shooting it
into the empty goal - much to the delight of the Watford
fans.
The stadium announcer sent the fans home by revealing the match had
been called off because of ``the state of the pitch and concerns
for the players' safety``.
