Watford 0-4 Coventry City: Ellis Simms nets hat-trick as Sky Blues end campaign in style

An Ellis Simms hat-trick and a Viktor Torp piledriver ensured that Coventry signed off on their Sky Bet Championship title-winning season in style with a one-sided 4-0 victory over a sorry Watford side at Vicarage Road.

Cheered on by around 2,000 fans bedecked in sky blue, Frank Lampard's side ended a memorable season with 95 points and 97 goals.

By contrast, swathes of empty seats in the Watford sections spoke volumes about the apathy that has engulfed a club which appears to be directionless after another mediocre mid-table campaign.

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What was even more damning for the home side was that Lampard chose to give some of his squad players a final day in the sun before the inevitable personnel changes that will be made before their first Premier League season since 2000-01.

The Watford players gave Coventry a guard of honour as they entered the pitch and proceeded to be just welcoming when the game started.

Simms was given the time and space to have two attempts at a shot which he eventually squirmed wide.

Watford's defenders then stood off Brandon Thomas-Asante, allowing him the time to pick out Josh Eccles whose header was pushed away by the diving Egil Selvik.

When the move was replicated after 19 minutes, Simms made no mistake, heading home a Jake Bidwell cross.

There seemed to be very little commitment from the home players, a damning indictment on the short reign of Ed Still, Watford's third permanent manager of a mediocre season.

The one exception in a dismal first half for the hosts was striker Nestory Irankunda, who came within a roll of the ball of hauling his side level after rounding visiting goalkeeper Carl Rushworth only to see Joel Latibaudiere clear off the goalline.

Within 30 seconds, the Australia international went close again, this time with a shot that cannoned back off a post.

As if to underline the difference between the sides, Simms then made it 2-0 with a rasping, rising drive from the edge of the area into the top corner.

Simms sealed his hat-trick just before the hour. Josh Eccles forced Selvik into a diving stop only for Torp to collect the ball and slide it inside for Simms to turn home.

Even Simms could not match the majesty of Torp's strike five minutes from time which signalled a mass walkout by the Watford fans who were still inside Vicarage Road.

Substitute Jamie Allen fought hard to win the ball on halfway and slipped a pass inside which Torp collected on the run before unleashing a 20-drive which found the top corner.

The managers

Watford's Ed Still:

"It's definitely not the way we wanted to end the season. We defended the cross for the first goal so poorly and we have trained to stop that all week. It shows how fragile confidence is in the whole group. The end of season has come now, and is needed.

"We need to reset the squad and the staff. We need to make sure that the energy is stronger to withstand the demands of a whole Championship season. You need to keep cohesion and togetherness for as long as possible.

"Today you could see the effects of so many being players are on loan here or at the end of their contracts, or so many players who feel like their time at the club has come to an end.

"I'm not oblivious to the negative momentum and the negative feeling that surrounds the club right now. Hopefully people have seen from day one my love for the club and how much that has grown."

Coventry's Frank Lampard:

"The club has to do the hard work and the owner (Doug King) has said that he wants to talk about that from next week.

"It's a special story this year and this is right up there in the amount of pleasure I have had in football.

"I'm living it and I feel very fortunate to live it. To be able to stand there today and enjoy the way the boys were playing, you don't get to do that very often.

"It was reflective afternoon and at the end with the fans, it also reflects how much of a connection we have with the fans.

"We may lose more games next season than this but we must not lose that connection.

"That was incredible from the lads after we made seven changes. A lot of them haven't had many minutes lately and you worry that will affect the performance.

"It didn't. They played brilliantly. What a day. The fans were on fire from beginning to end and after the match they were brilliant.

"The way the lads played highlighted the work that has been done because I didn't even have to have a team meeting today.

"Players came in who hadn't played, they've listened to the messages all season and they've improved a lot, every one of them."

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