Lincoln City are back on the road to face out-of-form Watford in our first visit to Vicarage Road in over four decades.
City will be eager to respond to Saturday’s defeat against Birmingham City as we contest the Graham Taylor Cup.
Watford Form
The Hornets’ recent run has been hugely disappointing at best, and for a club renowned for their limited patience when it comes to managers, Alessio Dionisi should be worried about his future at Vicarage Road. Watford actually enjoyed a bright opening month to the campaign, beating Southampton in their first match after ‘Spygate’, before draws against Wrexham and West Ham United left them with a steady five points from nine on offer.
In truth, their dismal exit from the League Cup against Peterborough United, shipping five goals to a side a division below, was a much more accurate indication of what was to follow. Successive losses to Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion were followed by a comeback victory over Preston North End. However, four straight defeats came after that rare three-point haul against the Lilywhites, starting with narrow reverses against Stoke City and Bristol City.
There was nothing close about their two losses that followed the international break. Watford handed Burnley their first three points of the season with a dismal 4-0 defeat at Vicarage Road, before losing by the same margin the following midweek at Cardiff City. Beating Charlton Athletic briefly raised spirits in Hertfordshire, but that failed to kickstart an improvement in form.
Nevertheless, Watford were more than worthy of ending their barren run that day, securing victory thanks to goals from Luca Kjerrumgaard and Jordan Zemura. The hosts were also grateful for the contribution of Federico Ravaglia at the other end of the pitch, making an excellent stop when the game was on a knife’s edge. That result didn’t provide the springboard that Hornets supporters were hoping for, as they went down at Wolverhampton Wanderers on the penultimate weekend of October.
Watford could only muster four efforts, none of which were on target, as Wolves were comfortable, despite the margin of victory, in stormy conditions at Molineux. And despite looking set for a confidence-boosting away victory at Norwich City on Saturday, the Hornets surrendered a two-goal advantage to compound their recent misery. There was an apathetic feel after the full-time whistle at Carrow Road, and results across matchday 13 in the Championship leave Watford just one place above the bottom three positions.
Watford Team News
As previously mentioned, the extended international break has provided several second-tier sides, Watford included, with a chance for players to return from injury. Prior to the break, the Hornets were twice unable to fill the substitutes’ bench, but saw seven of their squad return to fitness ahead of their meeting against the Clarets.
However, the news wasn’t all positive. The trio of Edoardo Bove, Jeremy Ngakia and Kwadwo Baah are all expected to be absent for another few weeks, with Ngakia suffering from several injuries throughout 2026. Likewise, Baah has also had his troubles with time on the sidelines this calendar year, and isn’t expected to feature against the Imps.
Hornets striker Luca Kjerrumgaard was absent against the Canaries over the weekend, which has left the Hornets sweating on his fitness ahead of tomorrow’s clash. Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio last month, boss Dionisi gave an update on the three above-mentioned men.
“It is better for us because now we have enough players to have two teams on the [training] pitch.
“They will probably be ready after the next international break, but for me, we have a lot of ‘new’ players.”
Summer Business
As has become the norm at Watford with so much turnover in the hot seat at Vicarage Road, their transfer business is typically volatile too. After Dionisi was appointed this summer, he got to work on shaping his squad, though a cynic may suggest that their signings were influenced by higher powers. No fewer than six came from Italian outfit Udinese, with the clubs inextricably linked through their ownership by the Pozzo family.
In came Martín Payero, Iker Bravo, Kjerrumgaard and Omar Traoré on permanent deals, while Zemura and Branimir Mlacic will spend the campaign on loan at the Hornets. Goalkeeper Ravaglia also came from Serie A, while Sam Walker further boosted that department from Bradford City. Stephy Mavididi departed League One Leicester City to return to the second tier, joining fellow recruits Myron Boadu and Soumaïla Coulibaly from European top-flight outfits PSV and RC Strasbourg.
There were several high-profile departures from Watford over the summer which have contributed to their struggles in form. Nestroy Irankunda, who impressed during the World Cup for Australia, left for Sporting Lisbon. Imrân Louza and Giorgi Chakvetadze fetched seven-figure fees, earning top-flight moves to Greece and Italy respectively, the latter to Udinese.
Previous Meetings
Meetings between the two clubs, who both share a great love for the late Graham Taylor, have been incredibly rare. Ironically, six of the nine clashes between the clubs came with the former England manager in the dugout during the 70s and 80s, with Taylor enjoying a near-perfect record. He completed a double over the Hornets while at the helm in Lincolnshire, during the 1975/76 campaign in which we stormed to a record-breaking Fourth Division title win, enjoying an 8-2 aggregate victory.
After moving to Hertfordshire following that success, the two teams clashed in the 78/79 season, with Watford winning both encounters by a 7-0 aggregate scoreline. The teams most recently met in the League Cup in 1981, with the Hornets emerging victorious in a third-round replay after a 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road. In the nine clashes between the two teams, Watford have four wins to City’s two victories.
What Can We Expect?
With an extremely difficult trip to West London on the horizon on Saturday, this fixture against Watford represents an excellent chance of recording our fourth away win of the campaign. While Burnley’s away end last month turned toxic, there appears to be an indifferent feeling at the Hornets, with history threatening to repeat itself with another managerial change.
There is the real threat that the side that started the decade flipping between the Premier League and Championship could find themselves in England’s third tier next season. A Tuesday evening clash against a newly-promoted side isn’t likely to be the most appealing match for home supporters, so getting under their skin early doors will be crucial to getting a positive result. Do that, and we should continue our excellent form on the road.
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