Fifth after first win

Ian Moore - scored the winner

We were unchanged from the side that had drawn its first two matches and that meant a return to his old ground for Micah Hyde who received a superb reception from the home fans. Some of them had told us outside the ground that for a three year period from 1998 to 2001 Hyde had been unquestionably their best player.

It was a slow start for the Clarets in temperatures that again were far from ideal for football and in the opening exchanges we did allow the home side to have far too much of the ball.

Despite this Watford didn’t trouble Danny Coyne at all with the two central defenders, Frank Sinclair and John McGreal, again in majestic form in front of him and they were dealing with just about everything that Watford could offer.

Although not anything like at our best going forward we did create some openings with Graham Branch hitting a shot wide whilst both Robbie Blake and Frank Sinclair both missed the target with headers, the latter coming from a corner after a great run from Branch.

At half time it was 0-0 and that was no real surprise with neither keeper having had too much to do, but if anything it was the Clarets who had created the openings even though we were far from our best.

That was all to change in the second half although it was Coyne who had to make the first save. It came from a free kick and our Welsh international keeper made it look a lot easier than it was as he took it low to his left.

That was just five minutes into the second half and the last real save he had to make as the Clarets took hold of the game in no uncertain terms. Ian Moore and Branch were getting forward more to support Blake and Robbie sent Mooro clear down the right but his cross to Branch was not quite accurate enough although Branchy was able to pull it back for our Reggae Boy Hyde who could only shoot tamely.

We were so close to going in front shortly afterwards when Hyde and Blake combined to set up Chappy on the edge of the box and his first time effort was no more than a few inches wide of the post.

It was all Burnley now and next time we came down it saw us take the lead. Robbie broke through and hit what looked an unstoppable shot for what looked certain to be his first goal of the season.

Tony Grant - magnificent in the second half

Incredibly, and I really don’t know how, Watford keeper Richard Lee got to it and made a magnificent save but the ball bounced up for the onrushing Moore. It was Deepdale all over again (after the Alan Moore shot in December 2001) as Mooro waited for the ball to drop.

There was no mistake this time as he headed into the empty net before turning to the celebrating Clarets in the stand behind the goal.

Watford tried to get back into the game but the Clarets were dominating the midfield now and even when the home side did get forward they were finding us a somewhat more difficult defence to breach than the Santos, Gnohere marshalled QPR defence some five days earlier.

Their best opportunity came when the otherwise excellent Michael Duff let in Hameur Bouazza but Tony Grant got back to rescue things. Grant, in superb form for most of last season has started more quietly this time round. That was until the second half today when he turned in magnificent performance.

If there was going to be another goal then it certainly looked more likely to be for us and it should have been with just under ten minutes left. It didn’t because once again inept officials missed, or chose to miss, the major decision.

Mo Camara, has he ever had a better game, played a superb ball into the box for Robbie Blake. As the Clarets’ skipper went up for the header he nearly had his shirt ripped off his back by the Watford defender.

The assistant had as clear a view as it was possible to have but he chose not to bother and gave nothing. Even so Robbie still got a good enough header in to force Lee into another superb save.

But it was a penalty, as clear a penalty as you are ever likely to see and the dwarf and his assistant couldn’t get it right.

In the end it didn’t matter because Watford created just the one half chance that they blazed over whilst Lee still had two more good saves to make.

After four minutes of stoppage time the final whistle signalled our first win of the season as the players joined the fans in celebrating.

Last week I asked that the players give us 100%, that we could ask no more than that. In very difficult conditions today that 100% commitment could not be questioned. They worked so hard, each and every one of them, and as the game went on just got better and better.

Picking a man of the match was difficult and again you cannot ignore the two central defenders who were in terrific form. But the influence of Tony Grant in the second half helped turn the game our way, he was involved in so much and it was fantastic to see him bang in form again.

Two clean sheets in a week away from home is a real boost for a side that on this form is not going to concede many goals at all.

They say league tables are not worth looking at so early in the season. I disagree; I think it is well worth looking at right now.

After this performance the Turf should really be full to the rafters next week – let’s see if we can do it.

The teams were,

Watford: Richard Lee, Jermaine Darlington, Neil Cox, James Chambers, Paul Mayo, Paul Devlin (Hameur Bouazza 67), Brynjar Gunnarsson, Gavin Mahon, Neal Ardley (Ashley Young 61), Bruce Dyer (Heidar Helguson 54), Danny Webber. Subs not used: Alec Chamberlain, Dominic Blizzard.

Burnley: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Micah Hyde, Tony Grant, Richard Chaplow (Lee Roche 89), Graham Branch, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Matt O’Neill, Joel Pilkington, Ryan Townsend.

Referee: Ray Olivier (West Midlands).

Attendance: 12,048.