That point was well earned; it was well deserved after Burnley had more than played their part in a hugely enjoyable game at Vicarage Road against a Watford team that certainly has an international flavour.
There's always a feeling of relief when you score a goal so late in the game and, although it goes nowhere near making up for that offside goal at Ewood twelve days earlier, it left the away end celebrating at the end as we finally reached that fifty point total that Stan Ternent always used to tell us was the target each season, after which 'We can crack on and see where it takes us'.
That we had to equalise was, in some ways, disappointing after a first half I thought we dominated and in which we twice led, but Watford are no mugs, they came back at us in the second half and looked odds on to go on and win it and move into second place in the league.
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| Two goals for Charlie Austin in an outstanding performance |
It was the last trip to the south of England this season and apart from the Easter trips and the obligatory M1 road works it was reasonably plain sailing to get down there to the news that Sean Dyche's team showed one change to the one I'd predicted.
Danny Lafferty, as expected, stepped in at left back for the suspended Ben Mee, but Danny Ings was preferred to Martin Paterson in what was the only other change to the team that had started the East Lancs derby on St. Patrick's Day.
I'm usually reasonably observant but just a few seconds before we kicked off I was asked who Kevin Long was in for. I hadn't spotted him but there he was lining up alongside Jason Shackell in the centre of defence.
Michael Duff had pulled up with a calf injury during the warm up and so Long was, at the eleventh hour, drafted into the starting line up, but who was the seventh substitute? Take your pick. The club have named only six; the BBC have Duff as a sub but when they warmed up during the half time interval it was there for all to see that it was David Edgar.
I'm pleased I had the change pointed out to me before we kicked off as the action got underway very quickly after kick off in front of a crowd that fell just a few hundred short of Watford's highest of the season.
We showed our intent right from kick off as we moved forward down the left. Danny Ings made a great run and latched on to a pass from Alex Kačaniklić. The full back got to the line and pulled the ball back for Ross Wallace who saw his shot blocked.
Our one bit of good fortune saw the ball rebound back off Wallace to Charlie Austin in front of goal and the leading goalscorer, who had a simply sensational first half, made absolutely no mistake from close range to find the net right in front of the Burnley supporters.
I knew it was well within the first minute. I've since seen various times given for the goal; one as early as 36 seconds. However, the Press Association, the official source, have timed it at 51 seconds.
What a start but no sooner had we got down from celebrating than Watford were level. It came in the sixth minute. We might have done better in preventing the ball reaching home captain Troy Deeney but when he let fly from outside the box there was only one destination for the ball as it fizzed into the corner.
It was disappointing to concede the lead so early but it didn't dent our play and we played some fantastic stuff, the best football we've played in some weeks. We were very much in the ascendancy and a second goal always looked more than a possibility.
It nearly came from Charlie again too. His header from a Wallace corner looked destined for the corner of the net until a late touch from a defender kept it out.
But we weren't to be denied and again Austin was the architect. He took a ball on the left and played the cheekiest of back heels into the path of Kačaniklić coming into the box. He was brought down as he looked set to get in a shot.
It looked to be Marco Cassetti that had committed the foul but it was Matthew Briggs who was yellow carded. Cassetti could count himself fortunate; he might even have got a red for the foul on Kačaniklić but David Coote, the most bizarre of referees, who never once got to grips with Watford's ability to go down too easily, appeared to get it all wrong apart from awarding the penalty.
Hit it hard was once the advice I was given when taking a penalty and Austin certainly did that. He hammered it in right in the middle of goal but had Jonathan Bond not elected to go to his left he still wouldn't have stopped it.
The real disappointment was that, for a second time, we couldn't keep the lead for long enough. It was five minutes the first time and it was exactly the same this time before Watford equalised for a second time.
Even so, it really might have been 3-1 before they could get their second. The ball came to him from the goalkeeper just inside the box and he tried to place his effort but his weak effort went over the bar.
It proved crucial as referee Coote got himself an assist when he diverted a Marvin Bartley pass right into the path of a Watford player who immediately got the ball into the box.
Argentinean Fernando Forestieri was the scorer. He impressed me yesterday above all the other Watford players. What a shame he has to spoil all his ability with his continued attempts to win free kicks for which Long paid the price in the second half, receiving a yellow card following the most nonsensical of free kick awards as Forestieri went down.
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| Burnley earned a point with a late equaliser from Sam Vokes |
Here, though, he took his goal ever so well after he'd been allowed to get clear in the box and again there was a flutter of noise from an otherwise quiet home fans who, drum apart, offered little support for their team despite the bellowing of the PA announcer for them to get involved.
With just under half an hour gone it was 2-2 and they'd only had two attacks worthy of the name and that was the one big disappointment given the way we'd played.
We came so, so close to going in front again, this time from Wallace who, but for Austin's first half show would have definitely been our best player on the day.
He too had an outstanding afternoon. We won a free kick but up went an arm in the wall. Coote immediately awarded another free kick yet astonishingly took no action against the Watford player who, I think, was Ikechi Anya. The subsequent free kick, again from Wallace, was inches over.
But it was Watford who came closest to a half time lead. Lee Grant made a top save to keep them out and then, right at the end, Deeney got clear but hit the bar with his chip over Grant enabling us to scramble the ball clear.
It really would have been a nonsense had that gone in. We'd been, by far, the better side, and to have gone in behind would have been so unjust.
Not a lot changed in the opening period of the second half but then Watford began to get on top. They really did play some good football and they were stretching us to the limit. They might well have gone in front but for another outstanding save from Grant to keep out Deeney.
Sean Dyche made a change. Brian Stock came on for the out of touch Marvin Bartley. We did appear to have got ourselves over the difficult spell and were getting very much back into the game.
That's when Watford struck. Their third goal had a touch of real fortune to it but the finish from Forestieri was sublime. It came from a cross from the right but that's when they got the little bit of good luck.
Deeney went to shoot. Had he missed the ball completely the danger would have passed, but he got just enough on it to deflect it right into Forestieri's path. From the moment he shot there was only one destination. It was a superb finish, right into the far bottom corner and there was absolutely no chance of keeping it out.
Now we had to push and look for an equaliser. Watford weren't offering too much but there was little from us in terms of creating opportunities. With around ten minutes to go both Vokes and Paterson came on.
Even so, we got to 90 minutes with the score still at 3-2 in Watford's favour and there was minimal excitement when the board went up showing five extra minutes.
We needed just over two of them. Long cleared the ball. Maybe had he got a good contact on the ball it would have come to nothing. Austin got to it and headed it on.
I don't think Gianfranco Zola will be too impressed with Matthew Briggs' attempts at defending the situation. He was caught asleep and that was enough to let in Vokes. He got in front of the defender before hitting a half volley into the bottom corner and then reeling away to celebrate the point.
It really was deserved. To have come away with nothing from this overall performance would have been so unjust. I said last night on the message board, I just wish we could play this well at home.
It might have gone unnoticed but that's only three defeats in the last twelve away games in the Championship. There's absolutely nothing wrong, overall, with the away form either in terms of performance or points. If only we could get it right at home.
Watford played their part. That's two very enjoyable games between the two teams this season and I think we might just be playing them again next season when the rules could have changed on loan players.
I suppose we should have expected goals. Since Ian Moore gave us a 1-0 win in August 2004, every game we've played there has had at least three goals.
Yesterday hasn't got me over the Blackburn game. That will take a while longer yet but this time it was us with the late goal and it's so good when the boot's on the other foot.
The teams were;
Watford: Jonathan Bond, Matthew Briggs, Fitz Hall, Joel Ekstrand, Marco Cassetti (Lloyd Doyley 49), Almen Abdi, Nathaniel Chalobah, Cristian Battocchio, Ikechi Anya (Matej Vydra 69), Troy Deeney (Alexandre Geijo 90), Fernando Forestieri. Subs not used: Jack Bonham, Mark Yeates, Jonathan Hogg, Daniel Pudil.
Yellow Card: Matthew Briggs.
Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Jason Shackell, Danny Lafferty, Ross Wallace (Sam Vokes 79), Marvin Bartley (Brian Stock 62), Chris McCann, Alex Kačaniklić (Martin Paterson 80), Danny Ings, Charlie Austin. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Joseph Mills, Junior Stanislas.
Yellow Cards: Danny Lafferty, Kevin Long, Chris McCann.
Referee: David Coote (Notts).
Attendance: 15,435 (including 523 Clarets).