Swansea 0 Watford 0: Bob Bradley ends Swans’ 4-game losing run in Prem with tight draw in his first home game in charge
Ex-US chief deservedly stops rot as the second-bottom hosts match a Hornets side who have now lost just once in 6 games
BOB BRADLEY ended the rot for Swansea in his first home match in charge.
The second-bottom Swans deservedly halted a run of four straight defeats - against a mid-table Watford side who have now lost just once in six games.
Swansea looked more solid in defence but both sides struggled to create real chances.
But just before the break Troy Deeney nudged a 30-yard free-kick to Younes Kaboul, whose shot looped up and just wide of stranded Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Heurelho Gomes, though, produced by far the save of the game on 62 minutes, a flying stop with his legs when Mike van der Hoorn prodded at Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick.
And Modou Barrow, so lively in Swans' late pressure, teed up Sigurdsson for a curler off the foot of the Watford post on 83 minutes.
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FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS
1. All fans impeccably observed a minute's silence for the victims of the Aberfan disaster.
2. Theo Walcott told MotD after last week’s match at the Emirates that he was sure Swansea would improve. The jury is still out...
3. The Deeney-for-England juggernaut rumbles on. Well, more like a large furniture fan really. But surely Watford’s warrior prince could liven up the moth-eaten, lacklustre Three Lions.
4. Sartorial contrast in the dugouts. Walter Mazzarri in smart black, no doubt Italian, suit with crisp white shirt. Bob Bradley wore a grey suit after last week's criticism of his all-black training gear at Arsenal.
5 Some of the Watford fans made the usual mistake of thinking they had arrived once they reached the Severn Bridge. Wrong, lads. It’s another 70 miles. Safe journey home!
6. Thank goodness Swansea’s colours meant Watford couldn’t wear their dull, featureless all-white away strip. It looks just like Swansea’s kit in 1955... only less interesting.
7. Watford boss Mazzarri is getting to grips with English, but goodness knows what he would have made of the Welsh language signs around the Liberty. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen anyone?
8. The two men in charge reached double figures yesterday in terms of joint Premier League match experience – Mazzarri nine games, Bradley two.
9. Both gaffers are on thin ice however well they do. Between them Swansea and Watford have had 14 bosses, including caretakers, since the summer of 2012.
10. What’s that noise from up the M4? Of course! It’s Neil ‘Quiet Man’ Warnock telling everyone what’s what at Cardiff City. Earplugs please!
BIG PICTURE
Next five fixtures
Swansea
Oct 31 - Stoke (A) - PL
Nov 6 - Man Utd (H) - PL
Nov 19 - Everton (A) - PL
Nov 26 - Crystal Palace (A) - PL
Dec 3 - Tottenham (H) - PL
Watford
Oct 29 - Hull (H) - PL
Nov 19 - Liverpool (A) - PL
Nov 19 - Leicester (H) - PL
Nov 27 - Stoke (H) – PL
Dec 3 - West Brom (A)- PL
SOCIAL SAYS
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
STAR MAN - Mike van der Hoorn (Swansea)
SWANSEA: Fabianski 6, Naughton 8, Van der Hoorn 8, Mawson 7, Kingsley 6, Britton 7, Sung-yueng 7, Barrow 7, Sigurdsson 7, Routledge 6 (Llorente 6), Baston 6. Subs (not used): Amat, Taylor, Fer, Nordfelt, Rangel, Cork.
Booked: Britton, Sigurdsson.
WATFORD: Gomes 7, Zuniga 7 (Amrabat 6), Prodl 7, Kaboul 7, Britos 6, Holebas 7, Pereyra 6, Behrami 7, Capoue 6 (Guedioura 6), Deeney 6, Ighalo 6. Subs (not used): Mariappa, Sinclair, Watson, Kabasele, Pantilimon.
Booked: Capoue.
WHAT THEY SAID
Swansea City manager Bob Bradley: "It was important to get a clean sheet and the play from our centre halves was solid as Deeney and Ighalo are difficult to play against.
"The second half was strong and we came out right from the beginning looking for a goal. It didn't happen but there are a lot of positives.
Watford boss Walter Mazzarri: "I tend to not comment on the referees, but today there were two very clear penalties for us. Those decisions are the ones that meant we did not go away with the three points.
The first half was the best we have played and how I want my team to play.
"I was very happy with the performance because we played in a very smooth way, we didn't throw long balls.