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Championship: Matej Vydra penalty enough for Watford at Blackpool

Image: Matej Vydra scores from the penalty spot for Watford

Watford shrugged off the absence of head coach Oscar Garcia to claim a 1-0 victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

Assistant coaches Ruben Martinez and Javier Pereira took charge of the Hornets after Garcia was taken to hospital on Sunday with minor chest pains and they saw their side pick up three points thanks to Matej Vydra’s 68th-minute penalty.

However, struggling Blackpool missed a golden chance to snatch a draw when Nile Ranger hit the post with another spot-kick with 10 minutes remaining.

Blackpool, who picked up their first point of the season from a goalless draw with Wolves on Saturday, made a bright start and Watford’s Heurelho Gomes was the first goalkeeper to be called into action as he saved a curling left-foot drive by Tony McMahon.

A mix-up in the home defence then almost gifted the visitors the lead as Peter Clarke’s clearance deflected off team-mate Joan Oriol and just inches wide of his own goal.

Seasiders goalkeeper Joe Lewis was tested by a 20-yard effort from Troy Deeney but he saved well before comfortably gathering Almen Abdi’s long-range shot.

Gomes foiled Ishmael Miller at the other end before Lewis kept out Deeney’s angled shot and Lewis McGugan’s free-kick, while Joel Ekstrand also saw a header cannon back off the crossbar as the Hornets piled on the pressure.

Ikechi Anya was the next to be denied by Lewis, although Donervon Daniels had a chance to put Blackpool ahead just before the break but he headed straight at Gomes.

Watford continued to dominate after the restart as Vydra curled a shot wide before spurning a good opportunity when he fired into the side-netting, while Lewis saved again from Deeney.

Tomasz Cywka then tried his luck from 30 yards out for Blackpool but his shot thundered into the advertising boards.

The visitors finally broke the deadlock midway through the second half when Vydra confidently dispatched his spot-kick into the bottom right-hand corner of the net after a sliding McMahon brought down substitute Lloyd Dyer on the left side of the penalty area.

The home side hit back, though, and could have equalised four minutes later as Miller met a corner and headed beyond the stranded Gomes, only for Deeney to save with his chest and hook the ball off the line.

Watford were lucky to hold onto their lead when Daniel Pudil was adjudged to have brought down substitute Ranger, but the former Newcastle United man's penalty struck the inside of the post before rebounding clear.

Miller had another chance to equalise at the death from John Lundstram's free-kick, but his header was saved well by Gomes, who earned Watford a deserved win.

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