Watford vs Preston North End. Sky Bet Championship.
Vicarage RoadAttendance19,374.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Watford and Preston North End at Vicarage Road on Saturday | Ryan Lowe's men sit seven points outside the Championship play-off places with six games to play
Saturday 6 April 2024 18:37, UK
Preston's Sky Bet Championship play-off hopes were dealt a blow by a tame 0-0 draw against Watford at Vicarage Road.
Richard Hughes and Will Keane missed gilt-edged chances for the visitors, for whom an away point from a game played in a swirling, unpredictable wind might have been seen as a positive earlier in the season.
Instead, with many of their rivals winning, it means that Ryan Lowe's side are now seven points adrift of the final play-off position.
Victory felt like an imperative for the visitors on Preston's designated Gentry Day when supporters dress up, many of them sporting bowler hats to remember fans of the club who have passed away in the past 12 months.
They might have taken a fifth-minute lead, only for Jack Whatmough's header from a Robbie Brady corner to drop harmlessly wide.
Watford's season has been given a boost of energy by interim manager Tom Cleverley, with optimism replacing the sterility of the Valerien Ismael era.
Tom Dele-Bashiru and Yaser Asprilla both had early shots for the hosts. A clearer opportunity was created by one wing-back Ryan Andrews, whose low cross fell into the path of the other, Jamal Lewis, after 13 minutes. Yet, when a cool head was needed, Lewis rushed his shot and lifted it high over the bar.
The match was not aided by the difficult gusts of wind which made it difficult to construct passing moves with any confidence.
The stalemate ought to have been broken as the game entered first-half stoppage time. A high looping cross from Greg Cunningham dropped at the feet of Hughes eight yards out but the Preston midfielder's skewed shot almost ran out for a throw-in.
With the second half settling back into the pattern of possession lacking a true sense of purpose, Watford captain Wes Hoedt decided to seize the initiative with a 30-yard piledriver towards the far top corner which flew narrowly wide of its target.
Still, though, it appeared that Preston's need for three points was the greater and Keane volleyed narrowly wide from a clever Emil Riis flicked pass.
Lowe replaced both of his strikers in an effort to inject fresh impetus into his side, but the game drifted away in the final minutes into a disappointing stalemate.
Watford's Tom Cleverley:
"No, I don't take the result in the end. It's not where I want us to be. That's the honest answer.
"I would much rather three wins and one defeat than what we've got in these four games.
"We have to try and find the balance of going for the winner and not risking the loss.
"Maybe we were a bit conservative today. It's about finding that balance in the team.
"I was a bit concerned thought we lacked that little bit of killer edge around the box. But the game just never really got any rhythm and we just could not sustain the pressure on them.
"We just didn't have the answers to break them down so we will analyse that. It's not a question of quality if you look at the players we had out there.
"It's a question of mentality to keep banging on that door and having that ruthless edge. We have to make it happen because we still didn't get that first home win of the year.
"The one thing I have felt is that the belief (is) coming back. We're fearless now."
Preston's Ryan Lowe:
"We got a valuable point which hopefully will help us but I thought we did enough to win the game.
"At this stage of the season you need three points. We came here to win and had some great chances but we just didn't have that clinical edge at the top edge of the pitch today.
"We had to make it a bit dogged because Watford have got some Premier League quality players. We had a goal threat, but just couldn't put it in the back of the net.
"It's been difficult all season, it's not just now. All we have tried to do is stay in the top half of the division as long as we can.
"I've seen him score them in training, but in fairness he's the left-sided centre-half and we have players who are more capable of putting the ball in the back of the net than he is. He was in the right area and on another day he would put it in.
"We had a discussion about it as we were coming off the pitch. He said: 'I'll be thinking about that chance.' I don't want that, though, because you can't turn the clock back, can you?
"It says a lot about where the club is that we are still looking up. For us, Preston North End, to still be in the mix with six games to try and get in the play-offs is a massive achievement.
"We've got two massive games coming up this week. And we've got an opportunity to get six points because we're playing at home."
