A feeling made, if at all possible, even worse by having the slowest away day journey in history - I knew there was a reason to hate grockles
We had no time to go to the pub I'd researched so we went straight to the ground for a hair of the dog
They were serving NO alcohol !!! Could the day get any worse?? As it turns out - yes, yes it could
Pugh had the first shot in anger on 8 minutes, cutting in from the left and shooting powerfully just over the bar
Two minutes later a Francis long throw in had Almunia in a flap an when the ball fell to Grabban he spun in the area and fired into the side - netting
Bournemouth were in the ascendancy but a quick Watford break-away had an Anya shot deflected for a corner.
It was from this corner that Watford scored, Angella pouncing on defensive indecision and smashing the ball into the roof of the net 1-0
I feared the AFCB crowd, greatly swelled by first timers, would start to turn on the team but I needn't have worried - they were magnificent then and throughout far darker moments in the game
The team responded and really took the game to Watford with Grabban(2) and Arter both having fine efforts blocked or saved
I did enjoy the deflected cross from Fraser from which Almunia made a "TV" save - I'll bet he has a picture of that on his wall by the end of the day
Fraser was the Watford chief tormenter and it was he that was brilliantly found by a defence splitting ball from Arter on 30 minutes.
He crossed the ball low into the 6 yard box and there was Grabban to knock it in from 2 yards 1-1
Fraser and Arter controlled the middle of the park for the remainder of the half and but for a late awarded free kick to Watford, Bournemouth looked very comfortable as they went in for their half time cuppa - if only we could have taken at least 1 more opportunity that we'd carved out
Half Time 1-1
For those of you of a nervous disposition - you may wish to turn away now - no? Well you were warned....
On 51 minutes a shoulder to shoulder charge had Francis harshly penalised in the corner and from the free kick Angella rose unchallenged at the back post to head past the static Allsop 2-1
A situation made worse just 4 minutes later when a long ball had Dweney running through and after out-muscling Cook to the ball saw his deflected shot bounce over the unfortunate Allsop 3-1
To be fair , the Watford front line had been excellent all day and now the passes were finding their men, Bournemouth looked lacking in pace to be able to deal with it
It was at this point there was an audible implosion within the AFCB ranks and players started to look ragged and sloppy and often had their pockets picked by the more energetic hornets
Deeney, Forestieri and Anya all had good opportunities to score before McGugan was sent through by another excellent pass and be smashed it past Allsop 4-1
It was game over now with Watford enjoying large periods of possession with only the occasional interlude from Bournemouth that all too often fizzled out through poor control or trying to overpay the ball
Surman summed up the second half by smashing the ball against the only defender in the box instead of a seemingly gaping goal after Fraser teed it up for him
With just 3 minutes to go Deeney found himself surrounded by a handful of defenders just outside the penalty box but not one got anywhere near him and he turned and shot majestically in off the right post 5-1
Please blow the whistle
The ref obliged, but not for full time but for one of the most ridiculous penalty decisions I have seen against Francis.
He clearly touched the ball but as the attacker added some Gallic flair into his acrobatic dive, the ref decided to give it
Deeney stepped up to complete his hat-trick and finally, the game was finished 6-1
Summary - a lot of us feared this kind of result but there were some positives. In the first half Bournemouth were the better side, playing the brand of football which should gain them many admirers.
Arter, Fraser and Grabban all put in good shifts - the right hand side in fact has now overtaken the left threat-wise. What we do lack is pace up front, a fit attacker to play with Grabban (assuming Thomas was injured) and a cutting edge to take the chances that are presented. Today we were given a real lesson n finishing power. I'm not sure where that second half performance came from - it was the poorest of the 4 championship halves I've witnessed - and it shows we cannot afford to dip below our best.
Remember, though, Watford are a very good side and one of the favourites to go up - this won't be the only big win of their season
Star Man - Arter - at the start of all that was good
Bournemouth Fans
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