Forest draw Hornets' sting
Goalless stalemate at Vicarage Road
Last Updated: December 26, 2009 4:05pm
Cowie: Hit post
High-flying Nottingham Forest held Watford to a goalless stalemate at Vicarage Road to extend their unbeaten run to 15 games and claim another point in their push for promotion.
The home side dominated for long periods of the game and hit the post midway through the second half through Don Cowie.
Late on Forest substitute Dexter Blackstock was denied by an outstanding save from Scott Loach as Billy Davies' side held on for a point to preserve the country's only undefeated away record.
Paul Anderson's shot from inside the area forced Loach into a parrying save early on but Watford created the better first-half chances thereafter.
A goalline clearance from Chris Gunter spared Lee Camp's blushes after the Forest keeper was beaten by Adrian Mariappa's cross-shot from the right-hand side two minutes later.
Watford went close again in the 18th minute following neat link-up play between strike pairing Danny Graham and Heidar Helguson.
Scrambling
Graham held the ball up on the edge of the box before teeing up Helguson whose shot had Camp scrambling across his goal but the ball went past the far post.
Camp then tipped a 25-yard shot round a post from on-loan Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley on the half-hour mark.
Forest almost caught Watford cold immediately after the break. Kelvin Wilson met Chris Cohen's near-post corner but his header looped on to the roof of the net.
Dele Adebola also went close with a header three minutes into the second half while Lewis McGugan sent a low shot just wide after 59 minutes as Forest continued to improve.
At the other end, Cleverley immediately threatened again. His curling shot from the left side of the box looked destined for the far top corner but the ball sailed just past the angle of post and crossbar.
Cleverley was involved again midway through the second half as Watford reasserted their dominance.
He set Lloyd Doyley free but the defender resisted the temptation to shoot and passed to Graham who scuffed a good chance harmlessly wide.
Caught napping
A short corner from Cleverley then caught the Forest defence napping but Davies' side got away with it as Cowie's shot from the edge of the area struck a post.
Forest almost snatched victory with seven minutes remaining but Loach showed why he is a target for Premier League clubs next month with a superb save to claw Blackstock's header away from the top corner.
Watford also had a late chance to win the game but Henri Lansbury's shot went inches wide.
Watford felt they should have been awarded a penalty in injury time when another effort from the on-loan Arsenal midfielder appeared to be blocked on the line by Nicky Shorey's arm but referee Andy D'Urso waved away the appeals.
Matches
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
