A cup upset in name, but not in character. Rovers, confident in attack and cool and collected to a man, brushed Watford aside as they eased into the League Cup third round.
Threatening from the off Rovers went ahead after 12 minutes. In a far and distant corner Dean Furman bludgeoned his way through two lost causes and kept play alive. He fed Kyle Bennett who skipped and turned until Gabriel Tamas did what Tamas does and nonchalantly felled him. Nathan Tyson from the penalty spot. 1-0.
On a rare occasion that Rovers switched off, Watford drew level. A ball forward, a neat flick, thwacked home by Lloyd Dyer. But it didn’t create momentum, it didn’t rouse the hosts. Half time came and went and Rovers remained comfortable.
Paul Keegan to Jamie Coppinger, a deft touch with a hitherto unused part of the foot and Furman was in, a low pull-back, beneath Marc De Val and stroked home by Liam Wakefield with the sort of finish the word aplomb was invented for.
2-1 and over half an hour left, but there was no hanging on. Instead came sensible, progressive ball retention and chances to wrap things up. Keegan rifled in his annual disallowed goal. Bennett came close. And when Watford did look to attack they were either crowded out or swept up by the speed of Reece Wabara. Neat, tidy and through.
“Who do you want in the next round?”
“Doesn’t matter, just so long as we’re away”
by Glen Wilson
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