Watford

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Watford head coach Tom Cleverley said a simple lack of goals was behind his side's stuttering finish to the Championship season and subsequent failure to secure a play-off spot.

The Hornets ended a run of four consecutive league losses with a final-day draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road.

But that sequence, which rounded of a miserable streak of just two wins in 12, meant they placed 14th.

"We've not scored enough goals and we together have to realise that was a big part in why the play-off charge wasn't sustained," Cleverly said.

"Now it's for all of us to recognise why we didn't sustain these results and learn from that."

Cleverley was, however, pleased with how his side performed against the Owls.

"I thought it was a strong performance," he added. "We dominated the game for large spells, especially almost all the second half, and did more than enough to win.

"I was really pleased with how much desire we showed to win the game in what was literally just a battle for 12th place.

"I think you saw a lot of promise, a lot of players who were playing football in a way that's entertaining."

The sun may have been shining across England during the week but it's clear life is anything but bright for the teams who will meet at Vicarage Road on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Hosts Watford have lost their past four games to end their play-off hopes as they tumbled into the bottom half of the table.

But things at visitors Sheffield Wednesday, a point ahead of Watford in 12th, could be worse.

Tension between the fans and the ownership have grown over the course of this season with speculation over the future of manager Danny Rohl.

• Watford are unbeaten across their last eight league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W5 D3), since a 1-0 defeat in December 2013.

• Since beating Watford 3-1 in November 2000, Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their 11 visits to Vicarage Road to face the Hornets (D2 L8).

• Watford have lost each of their last four league games and will be looking to avoid losing five in succession for the first time in the second tier since November 2008.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their last three final games of a league season by a combined scoreline of 7-1. Their only fixture against Watford to finish a season saw the pair draw 1-1 at Vicarage Road in May 2015.

• After defeat in their home league games against Sheffield United in January (2-1), Watford will be looking to avoid losing to both Sheffield clubs in the same season at Vicarage Road for the first time in the EFL.

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Watford boss Tom Cleverley spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio after his side was beaten 2-1 by Blackburn Rovers.

"For me, that was an unacceptable performance," he said.

"It was way, way short of the demands we put on the players and the standards we set for large parts of the season.

"It was completely below the level in all aspects of the game. For me, it has significance on how we can enter the summer and prepare for next season to ensure we don't fall short next season.

"We spent, I think, 10 weeks in the play-off places this season and next season we want to spend the last week in the play-offs, but performances like that are just unacceptable.

"It will be a significant performance that, because it's clear that we need to change quite a lot to ensure that it isn't replicated. I'll start with the culture and environment, for sure, I feel like it needs to go up a level."

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Watford attacking midfielder Rocco Vata may not be available for the side's trip to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST) after rolling his ankle in training.

Vata is currently being assessed but would be a huge miss for the Hornets, who already have three other attacking players on the sidelines.

"It's been a challenging period, let's not dress it up any other way," boss Tom Cleverley told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We felt we missed out on an attacking player in January and we were crossing our fingers that we wouldn't suffer any suspensions or injuries and they've all come at the same time."

Kwadwo Baah, Giorgi Chakvetadze and Amin Nabizada are the three other players missing, with defender Yasser Larouci and goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann also ruled out.

Watford have lost their past three league matches and slipped to 12th in the Championship.

Blackburn are back in the Championship play-off race after three successive victories but have only won one of their past five home games.

Watford are on a three-match losing streak which has cost them a possible top-six finish.

• Blackburn lost this fixture 2-1 last season but have never lost consecutive home league games against Watford.

• Watford are looking to complete their fourth league double over Blackburn, previously doing so in 1970-71, 1981-82 and 2020-21.

• Blackburn have won their past three league games, as many as they had in their previous 15 (D2 L10).

• Watford have lost their past three league games. It is the third time this season they have lost three in a row, while they last lost four consecutively in the Championship in November 2014.

• No Championship side has been shown more red cards than Watford this season, with three of the Hornets' six sending-offs coming in their past two games.

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Watford boss Tom Cleverley has said the red card given to Kevin Keben at their game against Portsmouth on Monday "was a complete guess."

The Hornet's lost by one first half goal to the Blues and have now lost their last three matches.

In the game, Keben was shown the red by referee Sam Allison for bringing down Josh Murphy just outside the area, but Cleverley felt his man made a decent enough challenge.

"The sending off was a complete guess from the referee." He told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"This level of football when you make a big decision you have to get it right, Kevin (Keben) gets the ball and it's a really disappointing decision.

"We seem to be suffering a lot of red cards and in a hostile environment here I think he has sided with the home side.

"We must play well in our last two games to finish the season well, it's been a really tough period.

"I don't think there is enough consequences at this club for not doing your job at times, some people deserved to come off today, I'll be much more demanding in the next two weeks for sure."

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Tom Cleverley said his Watford side "shot themselves in the foot" after they ended with nine men in their defeat to automatic promotion-chasing Burnley.

After falling 2-1 behind, Watford had captain Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe sent off within nine minutes of each other, and after both received two yellow cards in quick succession.

"Moussa is experienced enough to hold his hands up. He has done in the group there," Cleverley said.

"He knows better not to react to these things. He was disappointed with how the referee spoke to him [for his first booking for dissent].

"But [Zian] Flemming's provoked him and Moussa took the bait.

"Edo will will give you his everything and sometimes step over the mark. I've not got any complaints about the red cards, it's something we need to learn from. We shot ourselves in the foot today."

Watford will be without the suspended pair for Monday's trip to Portsmouth.

"It is an important game for us. We want to finish the season as well as possible," Cleverley added.

"We had a 12-month plan to get in the play-offs. That's now turned into a 24-month plan, and that feels much more achievable if we finish the last three games well."

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Watford centre-back Kevin Keben is set to make his comeback in "at least" one of their games over the Easter weekend.

The 21-year-old Cameroonian has not played since suffering a "long-term muscle injury" in the 2-0 derby win over Luton Town on 23 February.

The club say his injury has been "vulnerable to setbacks" so he has been "carefully managed" over the last few weeks.

Watford, who are seven points outside the play-off places with four games to play, are at home to second-placed Burnley on Friday, with a trip to Portsmouth to follow on Monday.

Keben's imminent return is a rare piece of good news for boss Tom Cleverley in recent weeks.

Four players, including star playmaker Giorgi Chakvetadze (fractured toe), have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and forward Zavier Massiah-Edwards will not be available for the Burnley game because he is subject to concussion protocols.

Burnley head to Vicarage Road to take on Watford on Friday (15:00 BST) knowing a maximum of three wins from their remaining four Championship matches will be enough to secure automatic promotion.

Watford, seven points adrift off the top six, need to win all their four games to stand any chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

• Watford have only won one of their past eight league games against Burnley (D3 L4), a 1-0 victory in August 2022.

• Burnley lost on their last league visit to Watford in August 2022, but not since February 1995 have they lost on successive league trips (run of three).

• Watford have won just three of past 21 league games on Good Friday (D11 L7), with just one win in their last six at home (D3 L2).

• Burnley have won 12 of their past 15 league games on Good Friday (D2 L1), including each of their past two on the road against Blackpool in April 2014 (1-0) and Middlesbrough in April 2023 (2-1).

• Burnley are unbeaten in their past 29 league games (W18 D11) and could reach 30 games undefeated in the English Football League for the second time in their history after last doing so in March 1921.

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Watford boss Tom Cleverley felt his side controlled much of the game in their 2-1 defeat at West Brom.

"It was a good game of football and I knew it would be. It was high quality and we probably had more control but they had more clinical and effective moments," he told BBC Radio 3CR:

"We've got some exciting young players who can maybe develop into how much quality they showed in front of goal today.

"They were outstanding in transitions today and they're not a transitions team because Tony likes to dominate the ball and rotate. Today we had control of the game and they were devastating on transitions and that's where tactical fouls can be effective.

"The performance levels in the last 10 games have not reflected the results."

West Bromwich Albion have slipped five points behind the Championship play-off places with a five-match winless streak.

A win for Watford at The Hawthorns would see them overtake the Baggies in the table.

• West Brom have won just one of their past 12 league games against Watford (D6 L5), and are winless in their past eight (D4 L4) since a 3-1 victory in December 2016 in the Premier League.

• Watford have only won one of their past 12 league visits to West Brom (D6 L5), a 1-0 Premier League victory in April 2016.

• West Brom have lost each of their past three league games, but haven't lost four in a row outside the Premier League since April 1999 (5).

• Watford have lost 11 Championship away games this season, their most away defeats in a league season outside of the Premier League since 2009-10 (13).

• West Brom boss Tony Mowbray has won just one of his past seven Championship games against Watford (D2 L4), a 2-0 victory with Sunderland in October 2023.

West Bromwich Albion and Watford will both be looking to keep their Championship play-off hopes alive when they meet at The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Baggies are eighth and three points off the top six, while the Hornets are one point further back in 10th.

Albion are without a win in five games (D2 L3) and Watford have won two of their previous seven matches (D2 L3).

• West Brom have won just one of their previous 12 league games against Watford (D6 L5), and are winless in their last eight (D4 L4) since a 3-1 victory in December 2016 in the Premier League.

• Watford have only won one of their past 12 league visits to West Brom (D6 L5), a 1-0 Premier League victory in April 2016.

• West Brom have lost each of their past three league games, but haven't lost four in a row outside of the Premier League since April 1999 (5).

• Watford have lost 11 Championship away games this season, their most away defeats in a league season outside of the Premier League since 2009-10 (13).

• West Brom's Tony Mowbray has won just one of his past seven Championship games against Watford (D2 L4), a 2-0 victory with Sunderland in October 2023.

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West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray has left it as late as possible before making a decision on injured defender Torbjorn Heggem ahead of Saturday's visit of 10th-placed Watford.

After three straight defeats, Albion have fallen to eighth, five points adrift of the play-offs, and now play host to a Hornets side just a point behind them.

But, although Isaac Price is fit, despite playing with an ankle injury in Tuesday's late 2-1 defeat at Bristol City, the other team news is not so encouraging.

Albion have appealed against Jayson Molumby's red card at Ashton Gate, but striker Tammer Bany (hamstring) and defender Ousmane Diakite (ankle) are almost certainly out and Mowbray is waiting on Heggem, who also has an ankle problem.

And there was no fresh update on top scorer Josh Maja's leg injury, which has sidelined him since early January.

"Bany has been for a scan on a hamstring and I don't think Diakite is going to make it," said Mowbray. "It's an ankle ligament injury, in a challenge. There was a bit more force.

"Heggem, we'll have to wait and see, but it'll be close. He didn't train on Thursday. But Friday is the day we make decisions, because if they don't train Friday then they won't play."

Mowbray knows his side need to score more goals. Of all the teams in the Championship's top half, only Blackburn (44) and Millwall (40) have scored fewer than the 49 managed by Albion and Saturday's opponents Watford.

But, more worryingly, the Baggies have now shipped eight goals after the 86th minute this season – including stoppage-time winners in two of their past three games.