THE end of the season cannot come quickly enough for Watford who were comfortably beaten 3-0 by a potentially Premiership bound but understrength Reading side at Vicarage Road on Wednesday, April 30.

The Royals, who were guaranteed home advantage in the Play-Offs as a result of the victory, were largely content to play on the counter-attack, with Tony Rougier and Darius Henderson taking their chances well before Jamie Cureton scored a fantastic third at the death.

As for the disappointing Hornets, they had the better of the possession, but the cutting edge was again absent until substitute Scott Fitzgerald came on for the last 30 minutes.

Ray Lewington, aiming to put right Saturday's sorry display at Brighton and end an indifferent run of home form which has seen the Hornets win only one of their last six league games, reverted to more of a tried-and-tested line-up. Back came captain for the evening Sean Dyche, Marcus Gayle, Micah Hyde, Paolo Vernazza and Allan Nielsen. Out went Sam Swonnell and Neil Cox, with Paul Robinson serving the first of his three-game suspension, and Wayne Brown and Richard Johnson dropping to the bench.

Alan Pardew, with his side's Play-Off place safe, opted to do a Watford of late, making seven changes to a team that has won three of its last four, with only keeper Marcus Hahnemann, Steve Brown, Nicky Shorey and Andrew Hughes surviving from the previous starting XI.

The match got off to a bad start for Watford, with Dyche booked after just three minutes for a foul on Nathan Tyson. The visitors forced two corners, which the Hornets managed to repel, and from the second Jason Norville broke promisingly upfield, but he completely fluffed his pass across to the supporting Tommy Smith. Then Smith went on a good run down the left before cutting inside, but his lofted ball drifted harmlessly through to Hahnemann.

Watford had another promising break after 14 minutes when Gayle rather sliced a clearance from a corner, but it fell for Smith, who went scorching through the middle, only to have his run cynically cut short by Ricky Newman around 30 yards from the Royals' goal. Newman, who had a covering defender behind him, escaped with a yellow card.

The play continued to be fairly equally split with chances not in plentiful supply, but on 26 minutes the visitors went in front. Henderson did very well to turn and nip past Gavin Mahon on the left angle of the area and accelerated before flighting in a lovely cross towards the near post where Rougier got across Gayle to flick a header past Alec Chamberlain from inside the six-yard box.

Norville slashed a shot badly wide at the other end as Watford sought an instant reply, while at the other end Newman curled a 25-yard free-kick just over.

Watford had another opening on the half-hour when Smith slipped the ball through to Norville, who was onside, but the striker lost control when it mattered. However, Brown, in making the tackle, got too much on the back pass, but Hahnemann did well to keep his eye on the ball and volley clear.

Tyson saw a shot from the left side of the area skid through to Chamberlain as the match continued to ebb and flow, but Watford still struggled to create a meaningful opportunity. They had a half-chance, though, on 42 minutes when Neal Ardley's deep corner from the right was clipped back in from the far side by Hyde, but a defender got in a clearing header ahead of Norville.

Hughes fired a left-footed shot over from the edge of the area as the half drew to a close, and ended with Reading taking a lead into the break and Watford booed off by some in the crowd.

The Hornets had the first chance of the second-half on 49 minutes when Stephen Glass played the ball into Hyde, who spun his man before firing a left-foot shot at Hahnemann. Then Smith latched on to a clearance from Adi Viveash and cut across on his left foot before driving an angled shot wide.

Reading had an opening on 57 minutes when Steve Sidwell showed good perseverance to win the ball back on the left side of the area, but he dragged his shot into the side netting.

Watford maintained their up tempo start to the second period, and on 62 minutes an Ardley corner into the near post was flicked on by Dyche into the keeper's arms. Then, a Nielsen long throw was headed back into the area by Hyde, and when it landed at the feet of Mahon, he struck a half-volley just wide of the right-hand upright.

The visitors made their first change on 66 minutes, bringing on Cureton for Rougier, and Watford followed suit a minute later, replacing Smith with Fitzgerald.

On 69 minutes, though, Watford were clinically opened up on the counter when a poor Hyde pass was latched on to by Cureton, who went streaking clear down the left before laying a perfectly-weighted ball across to Henderson, who didn't have to break stride as he slipped a low, left-footed effort beyond Chamberlain.

With 19 minutes left, Lewington made his second change, bringing on Anthony McNamee for Vernazza, and he immediately tried to inject some sparkle into the Hornets' attacks with a couple of balls in from the left.

Fitzgerald was very unfortunate not to break his professional scoring duck on 77 minutes when he gambled on a clearance from Hahnemann and blocked it, only to watch as the looping ball dropped just wide of the far post.

A slice of Reading history was made shortly after when 16-year-old Peter Castle replaced Tyson to become the youngest player in the club's history. He was rapidly followed by 17-year-old Darren Campbell, a substitute for Kevin Watson.

Cureton had the ball in the net with eight minutes remaining, but his lob was ruled out for offside, and then the lively Fitzgerald warmed Hahnemann's hands with a curling effort from outside the area.

Fitzgerald was in the right place again in the closing stages to get on the end of an Ardley cross, but he couldn't place his header wide of Hahnemann. Then the former Northwood striker was slipped in by a Hyde pass, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.

As the Hornets finished with something of a mini, but pointless, flourish, Glass tested the Reading keeper with a dipping, curling effort.

But the best was saved for last, and it came from the visitors. Cureton picked up the ball some 40 yards from goal and advanced, dazzling Glass with his footwork before rifling an unstoppable shot inside Chamberlain's near post from the edge of the area.

The game finished in a torrential downpour, which pretty much sums up the performance of the home side at the moment, who were booed from the field.

Watford: Chamberlain; Mahon, Dyche, Gayle, Glass; Ardley, Vernazza, Hyde, Nielsen; Smith, Norville, Substitutes: Fitzgerald for Smith after 67 mins; McNamee for Vernazza after 71 mins; Brown, Johnson and Lee not used.

Reading: Hahnemann; Newman, Brown, Viveash, Shorey; Rougier, Watson, Sidwell, Tyson; Henderson, Hughes. Substitutes: Cureton for Rougier after 66 mins; Castle for Tyson and Campbell for Watson after 78 mins; Mackie and Ashdown not used.

Bookings: Dyche for a foul on Tyson after three mins; Newman for a foul on Smith after 14 mins.

Attendance: 11,814.

Referee: A. Bates (Staffordshire)

April 30, 2003 22:00