Watford beat Bradford City to reach round four of FA Cup

The Hornets got off to the ideal start when Troy Deeney headed them in front inside three minutes but the visitors might have sensed they could pull off a shock after James Hanson equalised five minutes later.

However, the hosts didn’t let that setback affect them and gradually began to take charge before Marvin Sordell took his tally for the season into double figures with his side’s second shortly before the break.

Two goals in three second-half minutes from Craig Forsyth – the second a fine strike following great work by John Eustace – effectively confirmed their place in tomorrow’s draw, although they did make a bit awkward for themselves at the end after Nahki Wells netted a consolation.

Sean Dyche was always going to have to make two changes following Scott Loach’s suspension and the end of Michael Kightly’s loan but in the end he opted for four after Nyron Nosworthy was given clearance to play by Sunderland before his loan spell ends tomorrow.

Jonathan Bond came in for his first senior start in goal, while Kightly’s place went to Forsyth, who returned for his first outing since the beginning of November. John Eustace was also back as captain, with Prince Buaben dropping to the bench, but the most significant inclusion in historic terms was Lee Hodson making way for Lloyd Doyley, who became only the 12th player to make 350 appearances for the Hornets.

Watford’s bench was strong and Adam Thompson made it for the first time this season, as did Tom James, who was in a Hornets matchday squad for the first time.

The hosts almost had a chance inside two minutes when, following a mini game of head tennis after a Mark Yeates free-kick, Forsyth nodded the ball through to Deeney just outside the six-yard box but his goal-bound effort was blocked. But the former Walsall man was not to be denied moments later.

Watford kept the attack going and Sordell received the ball wide on the left and played over a fine cross for the unmarked Deeney to head down and inside Jon McLaughlin’s left-hand post and get his side off to the ideal start.

That should have been the platform for the Hornets to kick on in the early stages but within five minutes Bradford were level.

The home side failed to really get to grips with the situation following a throw-in from the left, allowing Ricky Ravenhill to fire in a shot from the edge of the area that was blocked but fell ideally for Hanson, who took one touch before slamming the ball into the roof of Bond’s net to make it 1-1.

Watford gradually began to get back on top after that setback but they didn’t create another opening until the 20th minute when Eustace tested McLaughlin with a fine left-footed volley from outside of the right angle of the area after the Bantams had failed to properly clear a Jonathan Hogg ball.

McLaughlin made a more comfortable save four minutes later from Deeney’s header after Yeates had flicked on a lofted cross from Sordell, who was catching the eye with his movement in the channels.

Another Hornets chance came and went in the 32nd minute when Yeates was played in on the by-line to the left of goal and found Deeney in the six-yard box but the striker was unable to get the ball out of his feet quick enough to get in an effort.

Ravenhill picked up the game’s first yellow card moments later after catching Eustace full in the face with a raised boot but then the Bantams had a chance, with Hanson heading over the top after Bond had been unable to get to a corner.

Watford responded, with Deeney forcing McLaughlin to parry away his scuffed shot before the keeper had to tip over Yeates’ clipped effort from the right side of the area.

But the Hornets did go back in front five minutes before the interval when Yeates found Sordell in space on the right side of the area and he jinked past a challenge before smartly prodding in his tenth of the campaign to make it 2-1.

Deeney blotted his copybook by picking up a yellow card in first-half injury-time but the hosts went into the break deserving of their lead.

Eustace, who had gone off early at the end of the first half to get more treatment to the head wound that was continuing to pour blood, came out for the second period sporting a large bandage on his head.

And it was his side who continued where they left off before the break, with Yeates doing well on the right to get over a cross but Forsyth was unable to direct the bouncing ball on target with his head.

The visitors asked a few attacking questions of their own at the start of the second half, without creating too much, and it was their opponents who had the next opening, with Yeates placing a shot wide of the near post from around 20 yards after being played in by Eustace.

But Watford effectively made the game safe in the 56th minute when they scored their third.

Again Sordell was involved, with a deep cross from the right which McLaughlin could only help on to Deeney on the left side of the area. He came inside before unselfishly finding Yeates, who in turn laid the ball off to Forsyth for the simplest of close-range finishes.

Not content with scoring once, Forsyth doubled his tally with a cracking first-time strike from the left edge of the area three minutes later but a lot of the credit for the goal went to Eustace, who, having won two important defensive headers, led the charge out on the counter attack and set up his team-mate for the goal with a fine pass.

Dyche decided to change his front two with 20 minutes left, bringing on Chris Iwelumo and Joe Garner for Sordell and Deeney.

Watford thought they’d scored a fifth five minutes later when Yeates blasted home after Iwelumo had swung and missed at a Garner cross but the flag was already up for offside.

Bradford mustered only their second on-target attempt of the afternoon when a corner from the left rather Hanson in the six-yard box and Bond was able to safely drop on the ball.

There was a moment to remember for James with four minutes remaining when he came on for his Hornets debut in place of Forsyth.

Bradford were allowed to score a second two minutes before the end of normal time when sloppy marking allowed Wells to get on the end of an in-swinging ball from the right and steer it right footed past Bond.

And Wells thought he’d set up a nervous last couple of minutes for the hosts when he beat Bond again in the first minute of injury time but, fortunately for the hosts, the offside flag was raised.

Watford: Bond; Doyley, Nosworthy, Mariappa, Dickinson; Forsyth, Eustace, Hogg, Yeates (James 86); Sordell (Iwelumo 70), Deeney (Garner 70). Not used: Jenkins, Buaben, Thompson and Bonham.

Bradford City: McLaughlin; Seip, Oliver, Davies, Threlfall; Fagan, Ravenhill (Dean 75), Jones (Bullock 64), Taylor; Wells, Hanson (Hannah 84). Not used: O’Brien, Stewart, Mitchell and Duke.

Bookings: Ravenhill for a foul on Eustace (33); Deeney for a foul on Davies (45); Bullock for a foul on Deeney (68).

Attendance: 8,935.

Referee: Gavin Ward.