Clarets going into Christmas looking for a home boost

12/20/2024 05:42 PM

Tomorrow sees Watford come to the Turf for what is our final pre-Christmas fixture and also our final home game of 2024.

We are unbeaten at home this season but we have more wins and more points on the road because of five of the ten played at home ending in draws, three of them with a 0-0 scoreline. While the last three away games have all ended in victory, the last two home games were both draws, 1-1 against Middlesbrough and then by that disappointing 0-0 against Derby.

As the season moves towards its half way point with just tomorrow and Boxing Day's game at Sheffield United, to get us there, we are in a good position in the league. We are third in the table and although four points behind Sheffield United, we are just one point off second place Leeds while we hold a one point advantage over Sunderland.

Since three points for a win was introduced in 1981, only once have we had more than our current 41 points at this stage. That was eleven years ago in Sean Dyche's first promotion when we had 43. In the other promotion seasons to the Premier League, we had 41 points two years ago, 36 in the first promotion of 2008/09 and 35 in the 2015/16 season.

So it's all much of a muchness and, although we can't expect to race away as we did two years ago, there is no reason to think we are not going to remain in the promotion chase for the remainder of the season.

One of the players who came on as a substitute last Sunday at Norwich and helped turn things in our favour was midfielder Josh Laurent. He's made seventeen appearances for us since signing from Stoke but he's been in and out of the side with that game at Norwich his ninth from the bench.

He is keen to get a regular place in the team to play a full part and said: "You want to play in all the big games." He added: "Every game is important and every game we go into we want to win and perform our best, but ones around this time of year against all the teams around us are the ones you get excited for."

Of tomorrow's game, he said: "It's a big game this weekend, they're a really good side. We know what they are capable of, they can score goals and have got pace and power in attack, so we need to be at our best."

Laurent will be in the squad and Maxime Estève is expected to be fit having been forced off early in the Norwich win. While Jeremy Sarmiento is likely to be out, both Connor Roberts and Andréas Hountondji are available again having missed last week's game with illness.

Last week's team at Norwich was: James Trafford, Bashir Humphreys, CJ Egan-Riley, Maxime Estève, Lucas Pires, Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill, Luca Koleosho, Jeremy Sarmiento, Jaidon Anthony, Jay Rodriguez. Subs: Václav Hladký, John Egan, Joe Worrall, Hjalmar Ekdal, Owen Dodgson, Josh Laurent, Hannibal, Enock Agyei, Zian Flemming.

Watford are having a good season and currently sit seventh in the table. They are now under the management of Tom Cleverley who replaced Valérien Ismaël in early March this year. It was during the 2017/18 season when Everton made an approach for their then manager Marco Silva that chief executive Scott Duxbury revealed that they were a club that would never change manager during a season. They've done that just ten times since.

So, Cleverley is getting a long run at things but he's doing well and particularly at home this season where they remain unbeaten. Only Leeds and Sheffield United have won more home points than Watford but it is a different story for them on their travels with two wins and two draws giving them eight points.

The first of the away wins came on the opening day of the season at Millwall where they won 3-2 with the second and most recent victory at Sheffield Wednesday in early November where they won by an astonishing scoreline of 6-2 on a day when their leading scorer Vakoun Bayo (pictured below) scored four times.

They've scored 29 goals, three more than us, and have conceded 26. Bayo is their leading scorer with nine of them followed by Edo Kayembe with three.

For tomorrow's game, Watford will be without Tom Dele-Bashiru and Kévin Keben who remain out with injuries while Imrân Louza has missed training through illness although is expected to be available. Cleverley has had some good news with central defender Angelo Ogbonna ready to return having been out since October with a hamstring issue.

Cleverley said today about the game: "I'm excited for this challenge. It's an incredible defensive record they've got. We know the test we face, but I would say that we've got one of the most exciting attacking units in the league. I expect a good clash of styles and a good football match.

The Watford team who beat West Brom while we were winning at Norwich was: Daniel Bachmann, Jeremy Ngakia, Ryan Porteous, Mattie Pollock, James Morris, Imrân Louza, Kwadwo Baah, Moussa Sissoko, Giorgi Chakveetadze, Rocco Vata, Vakoun Bayo. Subs: Jonathan Bond, Ryan Andrews, Pierre Dwomoh, Festy Ebosele, Tom Ince, Daniel Jebbison, Edo Kayembe, Yasser Larouci, Francisco Sierralta.

LAST TIME THEY WERE HERE

Burnley went into the home game against Watford in February 2023 in a commanding position at the top of the Championship, holding a seven point lead over Sheffield United and seventeen points ahead of third place Middlesbrough.

Watford sat sixth but were a massive 22 points behind the Clarets but were one of just two teams to have beaten us in the league when they had beaten us 1-0 at Vicarage Road back in August. We'd won all of our previous ten games but we couldn't make it eleven and Watford were so, so close to completing a double over us.

Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann denied Ashley Barnes a first minute goal with a brilliant save but far too often we were giving the ball away too easily with goalkeeper Arijanet Muric the biggest culprit. And, just past the half hour, it was Muric who gave away the first goal when he made a complete mess of a long punt up the field.

We changed goalkeeper at half time with Bailey Peacock-Farrell coming on and Watford did all they could to disrupt the football in the second half as we struggled to get the breakthrough.

It went into stoppage time with us still trailing when Anass Zaroury won us a corner on the left. Josh Brownhill took it and swung it in before two substitutes, two January signings got involved. Lyle Foster should have scored but somehow headed against the post but there was Michael Obafemi to hit home his first Burnley goal.

Not a win, but a point and two tough trips to Luton and Millwall to follow.

The teams were;

Burnley: Arijanet Muric (Bailey Peacock-Farrell ht), Connor Roberts (Michael Obafemi 86), Hjalmar Ekdal, Jordan Beyer (Ameen Al-Dakhil 40), Ian Maatsen, Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill, Nathan Tella, Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (Scott Twine 71), Anass Zaroury, Ashley Barnes (Lyle Foster 71). Subs not used: Jack Cork, Vitinho.

Watford: Daniel Bachmann, Mario Gaspar, Ryan Porteous, Wesley Hoedt, Hassane Kamara, Ismael Koné (Imrân Louza 76), Hamza Choudhury, Ken Sema (Henrique Araújo 68), Ismaila Sarr, Keinan Davis (Mattheus Martins 69), João Pedro (Christian Kabasele 87). Subs not used: Ben Hamer, James Morris, Britt Assombalonga).

LAST TWENTY SEASONS

2004/05
Away: W 1-0, Moore
Home: W 3-1, Bowditch, J O’Connor, Valois
2005/06
Away: L 1-3, G O’Connor(pen)
Home: W 4-1, Branch, Harley(2 1pen), J O’Connor
2007/08
Away: W 2-1, Gray, Guðjónsson
Home: D 2-2, Blake(2)
2008/09
Home: W 3-2, Alexander(pen), Paterson, Elliott
Away: L 0-3
2010/11
Home: W 3-2, Iwelumo, Wallace, Alexander(pen)
Away: W 3-1, Bennet(og), Eagles, Iwelumo
2011/12
Home: D 2-2, Austin, Tracey
Away: L 2-3, Rodriguez, Nosworthy(og)
2012/13
Home: D 1-1, Austin(pen)
Away: D 3-3, Austin(2 1pen), Vokes
2013/14
Home: D 0-0
Away: D 1-1, Arfield
2016/17
Home: W 2-0, Hendrick, Keane
Away: L 1-2, Barnes(pen)
2017/18
Home: W 1-0, Arfield
Away: W 2-1, Vokes, Cork
2018/19
Home: L 1-3, Tarkowski
Away: D 0-0
2019/20
Away: W 3-0, Wood, Barnes(pen), Tarkowski
Home: W 1-0, Rodriguez
2021/22
Home: D 0-0
Away: W 2-1, Cork, Brownhill
2022/23
Away: L 0-1
Home: D 1-1, Obafemi