THE pattern has been established on their travels, but Watford's impotency in front of goal came home to haunt them at Vicarage Road on Tuesday, March 18, as Gillingham pinched an undeserved 1-0 victory.

The home side had more than enough chances to have comfortably wrapped up the three points before Paul Shaw scored the only goal of the game mid-way through the second-half, but as it was, the Hornets fans were left to contemplate an increasingly worrying set of statistics for the FA Cup Semi-Finalists, who are now without a league win in seven, and have only scored one goal in their last six Division One outings.

Despite the disappointing 1-0 defeat at Grimsby Town on Saturday, Ray Lewington chose to make only one change. Gary Fisken came in to try and fill the problematic right-side of midfield berth, with Allan Nielsen still not fit to return. Fisken replaced Jamie Hand, who was left out of the 16, while Paolo Vernazza retained his place on the bench alongside the recalled Anthony McNamee.

Former Hornets midfielder Andy Hessenthaler, whose 500th professional appearance was marked by the presentation of a commemorative shirt from Gillingham chairman Paul Scally and his Watford opposite number Graham Simpson before kick-off, made two changes to the side that was held 1-1 at home by ten-man Rotherham United. Simon Osborn came in for the injured Mark Saunders and Tommy Johnson replaced Guy Ipoua, who dropped to the bench, up front.

Watford could have gone in front inside two minutes when Neil Cox found Heidar Helguson on the edge of the area, and he laid the ball back to Gavin Mahon, who advanced before striking a fine 20-yard shot that bounced off the right-hand upright, with keeper Jason Brown beaten. The rebound fell ideally for Helguson on the right side of the area, but instead of striking it first time, he dallied, giving Roland Edge the chance to put the ball behind for a corner.

Johnson then had the visitors' first attempt blocked at the other end, while Helguson shot first time across the face of goal and wide from out on the left after being released by a fine long Paul Robinson pass.

Gillingham went close on 13 minutes when a Hessenthaler corner from the right was headed on by Paul Smith, and Johnson turned and struck goalwards, but Micah Hyde was in the right place to clear by the right-hand post.

But the home spurned a chance two minutes later when the ball was worked across to Stephen Glass on the left, and his cross found Helguson in space in the area, but the striker headed down into the ground and the ball bounced up into Brown's arms.

Rod Wallace sliced a shot wide on 24 minutes after Johnson had sprung the offside trap to latch on to Edge's lofted pass and played the ball in from the left. But a minute later, Helguson fired over from the left side of the area after being played in by Robinson's pass following some neat inter-play between Hyde, Glass and Robinson.

Another Hornets chance came and went on 27 minutes when Neal Ardley's free-kick from the left landed at the feet of the unmarked Mahon in the area, but the midfielder couldn't make a good enough connection and Brown was able to save with ease.

Marcus Gayle was booked for a needless handball, and then Glass tried his luck from distance after being found by Robinson, but his 30-yard effort flew over.

Watford continued to assert themselves, and Fisken was next to go close, clipping a a shot just over the angle of post and bar following a cross-area ball from Hyde.

The Gills keeper did well after 38 minutes when Hyde found Smith, and he got to the left-hand goal-line and crossed towards the near post, but Brown managed to block the ball away before Helguson could pounce.

Osborn sent a dipping 25-yard shot over after a Hessenthaler corner had been partially cleared two minutes before the interval, but the Hornets soon had another chance, with Glass firing straight at the keeper when well-placed inside the area to latch onto Cox's header from an Ardley free-kick.

Gillingham could have had a penalty in injury-time when an attempted Wallace pass struck Gayle on the arm on the left side of the area, but it looked more of a case of ball to hand.

Despite enjoying the better of the exchanges, and having more than enough chances to have taken the lead, Watford went into the break without a goal to show for their efforts.

The Hornets threatened to break through two minutes after the restart when a Gayle pass found Helguson in space on the left, but Smith couldn't latch on to his square ball across the face of the area, and it was put behind. From the resulting corner, both Mahon and Gayle saw shots blocked.

Fisken then shot over from 25 yards after an Ardley corner from the right had been worked back to him by Gayle, but the best chance of the lot went begging after 54 minutes. Helguson intercepted a Chris Hope square pass on half-way and raced clear of the defence with only Brown to beat, but as the Icelandic international broke into the area, he somehow managed to shoot straight at the keeper when it appeared easier to score.

The catalogue of misses continued to mount, with Fisken firing an angled drive over after Helguson had flicked a Glass pass into his path, and then Hyde snatched a shot wide from the edge of the area after a Robinson pass had found Helguson on the left.

But Watford paid the price for not taking one of their numerous opportunities when Gillingham scored against the run of play after 64 minutes. Hessenthaler's cross from the right was headed down by Osborn to Shaw, who got goalside of the defender, and managed to get the ball out from under his feet before sliding it past Alec Chamberlain from inside the six-yard box.

Lewington made his first change after 69 minutes, bringing on McNamee for Fisken, and within seconds he had tested Brown with a low shot from 20 yards.

Gillingham almost immediately brought on Mamady Sidibe for Johnson, and with 15 minutes left Gifton Noel-Williams came on for Hyde as Watford went for broke with a 4-3-3 formation.

But it was Gillingham who caught the missing bug after 77 minutes when Shaw worked the ball across to Wallace, who in turn found Sidibe unmarked on the left side of the area, but, with only Chamberlain to beat, he put a fairly straightforward chance wide of the target.

The confidence was visibly draining from Watford as they made a succession of unforced errors, with very little sign of an equaliser forthcoming.

Lewington made his final change with five minutes left, replacing Smith with Vernazza. Two minutes later, Glass forced Brown to parry low down with a free-kick from inside the D after Helguson, who had run into a cul-de-sac, had been upended.

Ipoua came on for Wallace with two minutes left, but, in injury-time, the Hornets went very close again when Noel-Williams latched on to a flick on, and chested the ball down to take it round Brown, only for his hooked shot towards the empty goal to be cleared off the line by Nyron Nosworthy's head.

As Gillingham celebrated at the final whistle, Watford received a short, sharp boo from their disappointed fans.

Watford: Chamberlain; Ardley, Cox, Gayle, Robinson; Fisken, Mahon, Hyde, Glass; Smith, Helguson. Substitutes: McNamee for Fisken after 69 mins; Noel-Williams for Hyde after 75 mins; Vernazza for Smith after 85 mins; Brown and Lee not used.

Gillingham: Brown; Southall, Nosworthy, Hope, Edge; Hessenthaler, Smith, Osborn, Shaw; Johnson, Wallace. Substitutes: Sidibe for Johnson after 70 mins; Ipoua for Wallace after 88 mins; Johnson, Perpetuini and Bartram not used.

Bookings: Gayle booked for handball after 29 mins.

Attendance: 10,492.

Referee: Peter Walton (Northants).

March 18, 2003 22:00