Mackay saves 10-man Hornets
By Andy Clarke. Last Updated: January 1, 1970 1:00am
Malky Mackay's late goal earned Watford a 2-2 draw at Leicester and stretched the Hornets' unbeaten run to seven matches.
Adrian Boothroyd's side arrived at the Walkers Stadium on the back of five straight wins and they got off to a flying start thanks to Marlon King's goal.
But two strikes from Joey Gudjonsson turned the match on its head before Clarke Carlisle was sent off for tripping the Icelandic midfielder - his second bookable offence.
However, Mackay saved the day for the visitors, touching the ball into an empty net five minutes from time after Ashley Young's clever header across the face of goal.
Watford were the brighter of the two teams in the early stages with Paul Devlin and Anthony McNamee causing havoc on the flanks, but they did not take the lead until the 20th minute.
King's 25-yard free-kick looked harmless enough, but Leicester's defensive wall jumped over the ball and Rab Douglas was well beaten.
Leicester had a penalty appeal turned down when Carlisle appeared to climb on Mark de Vries, before they levelled through their first shot at goal on 38 minutes when Ryan Smith crossed and Gudjonsson fired in at the far post.
Gudjonsson added his second from the spot on the stroke of half time after Matt Spring handled in the area, but he missed a good chance for his hat-trick when he headed wide from Alan Maybury's cross.
Dion Dublin then missed a wonderful chance to make the points safe for Craig Levein's side, who were punished by Mackay's late strike.
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 |
Clarke Carlisle
Marlon King
Malky Mackay
Joey Gudjonsson
