Preston North End Rescheduled

Last Saturday's match with Preston North End, cancelled due to weather, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 15. Kickoff will be 1:45 pm St. Louis time.

Preston Match Called Off Due to Snow

Will have reschedule info when available.

It's Hartlepool United

Vicarage Road will host third round FA Cup action January 8, when the Hornets welcome League One side Hartlepool United, winners over Yeoville Town Tuesday night.

QPR 1-3 Watford 8-6-7 30 pts.

A marvelous upset for Watford in the first match that I've been able to watch in about two years. Why upset? Consider:

• QPR is top of the table
• The match was at Loftus Road
• QPR had only conceded five goals at Loftus Road this season
• QPR carried a 19-game unbeaten (league play) streak into this match
• QPR's Heidar Helguson & Tommy Smith together had more Watford goals than Watford's starting XI

And it looked as if QPR had control of the match for the first 20 minutes, running Watford ragged with long deliveries from keeper Paddy Kenny. But in the 26th minute, a perfect cross from Andrew Taylor found the onrushing foot of Danny Graham to surprise the Hoops.

Surprise gave way to shock when an abandoned cross from Jordan Mutch from 20 yards out was watched into the goal by Hornets and Hoops alike 3 1/2 minutes later.

A second goal from Graham (probably offside) three minutes into the first half (asst Stephen McGinn) brought out the worst in the Loftus Road fans with a bottle being tossed at the Watford squad.

Watford continued to dominate, but lost its clean sheet when Tommy Smith put QPR on the board with a minute left.

The win puts Watford in eighth place for today, just two points shy of the playoff zone, though both Leeds & Derby have a game in hand.

The next match is at Vicarage Road next Saturday, December 18, when Preston North End comes to town. Kickoff is 9:00 am St. Louis time.

QPR Today

Oops! Somebody updated the schedule (BBC?) and didn't tell me. The QPR match is today, not tomorrow, and kicks off at 1:45 St. Louis time. The link above purports to carries the free live stream as it will be broadcast (though not so broadly cast as to reach St. Louis). I'll make no claims as to the site being cootie-free or having the ability to bypass your company's firewall.

Watford 3-2 Leicester City 7-6-7 28 pts.

A semi-gutsy last-minute win netted the Hornets three points as Danny Graham broke the Rookery End curse (which has seen as much scoring as Wrigley Field's right field endzone at the Illinois-Northwestern game).

Semi- because they had to blow a two goal lead to build the drama.

A Jordon Mutch corner found its way to Jon Eustace to give Watford the lead in the 15th minute and Will Buckley, making his first start in two months, right-footed the second in (asst. Don Cowie) eight minutes later.

It went to the half 2-0, but Leicester took advantage of a hand-ball call (it wasn't) on Andrew Taylor, and got on the board with a Gallager penalty shot. Gallager scored his second in minute 70 to draw even, but Graham's header in the 85th minute (asst. Mutch) broke the deadlock.

The only down side to the day was the coming off of Martin Sordell with an injury (no news) late in the match.

Watford will play at QPR next Saturday, December 11. Kickoff is 9:00 an St. Louis time.

On the Block

Watford Leisure PLC, parent company of Watford FC has confirm that there is a as-of-yet unidentified buyer of interest in Lord Ashcroft's shares in the club.