Watford ended a five-game winless run in all competitions on Saturday afternoon by handing John Eustace’s Birmingham their first loss of the 2023-24 Championship term.
Valerien Ismael’s men dominated proceedings in Hertfordshire but had to wait until added time to secure the three points, with Mileta Rajovic and Ryan Andrews getting on the scoresheet for the Hornets to seal their first win since the opening day against a harmless Queens Park Rangers.
Following the sale of Ismaila Sarr to Ligue 1 giants Marseille in the summer, there had been understandable concerns that Ivorian Vakoun Issouf Bayo may not be able to carry the goalscoring burden alone, but the form of the Dane Rajovic since his arrival from Kalmar has considerably eased any worries of a potential drought in front of goal.
Despite possessing one of the most talented squads on paper in the second tier, Watford sit just 12th after their first six matches, having earned eight points, meaning they are already eight points behind league leaders Preston North End.
Only Ryan Lowe’s Lilywhites and Norwich City have collected more points in front of their own supporters than Ismael’s men so far this term, but no one has played as many home matches than the Hornets in the Championship to
dateWest Brom were unable to earn their maiden away maximum of the season against Bristol City on Saturday, with the Baggies playing out their first competitive goalless draw since the stalemate with Gary Rowett’s Millwall
back in April.Albion failed to register a shot on target at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon, and many supporters questioned why the likes of Jeremy Sarmiento and Grady Diangana were handed only seven minutes off the bench to make an attacking impression
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The Black Country outfit now face a clash with former head coach Ismael, whose reign at The Hawthorns started brightly before the rest of the Championship worked out how to exploit the Frenchman’s tactics, ultimately leading to his departure in February 2022.
The Baggies’ failure to reach the top six last term can largely be attributed to an abysmal start under the stewardship of Steve Bruce, but West Brom’s away form was a constant hinderance to their top-six ambitions, with the former Premier League regulars winning just seven of their 23 second-tier outings in 2022-23.
Last campaign’s trip to Vicarage Road saw Conor Townsend and Jed Wallace make the net ripple for the visitors, but a brace from Ken Sema and a strike from Ismaila Sarr meant Slaven Bilic’s Hornets were victorious in a five-goal thriller.
