Sub's last-gasp salvo sinks Saints

3:33pm Sunday 16th September 2007

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SUBSTITUTE Darius Henderson's late double broke Southampton hearts and catapulted Watford to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship.

Henderson, a 66th-minute replacement for Nathan Ellington, struck the decisive blow two minutes into injury time after a goalmouth scramble.

Just 10 minutes earlier Henderson had slid-in at the far post to convert Lloyd Doyley's low cross to bring Watford level.

It looked like Nathan Dyer's superb curling effort would give Southampton their third straight win.

Dyer, the only surviving member from George Burley's first match in charge as Southampton boss when Saints lost 3-0 to Watford at Vicarage Road on Boxing Day 2005, produced a classy finish to give his side the lead after 69 minutes.

The 19-year-old was given time and space 25-yards out and he took full advantage by curling a right-foot shot beyond Mart Poom and into the far corner.

Earlier, Grzegorz Rasiak had struck on the stroke of half-time to cancel out Dan Shittu's opener for Watford.

Rasiak beat the offside trap to latch on to Dyer's defence-splitting pass before rolling the ball into the bottom right-hand corner under Poom's dive.

It looked like Watford would go into the interval ahead when Shittu headed the opening goal in the 42nd minute.

Kelvin Davis came for a cross but his weak punch fell to Tommy Smith, who jinked his way to the byline and hung a cross up at the far post where Shittu out-jumped team-mate Ellington to head home from under the crossbar.

Henderson's winner was tough on Saints goalkeeper Kelvin Davis who, despite being at fault for Watford's first goal, had thwarted the Hornet's all afternoon with a string of fine saves.

The best of which came midway through the first-half when Davis produced a fantastic double save; first thwarting Smith from point-blank range with his legs before quickly getting up to palm away Lee Williamson's 18-yard volley from the rebound.

Adrian Boothroyd's side created a hatful of chances in the opening 20 minutes of the game but it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock against the run of play after 10 minutes.

A Saints free-kick on the left wing inadvertently flicked off the head of Shittu and forced Poom to make a smart save and palm the ball against his near post.

Watford looked threatening from the off with new strike partnership Marlon King and Ellington linking up well but it was Jobi McAnuff who provided the first effort on goal, dragging his 18-yard shot narrowly wide after seven minutes.

Smith's snap volley on the turn from King's flick-on looked like it might trouble Davis but in the end it was a comfortable save for the Saints goalkeeper.

Poom palmed against his post before Watford continued to pile on the early pressure.

In the 20th minute King brought down a long ball before he cleverly played in Ellington, whose shot from the edge of the area had to be smothered at the foot of his near post by Davis.

Shittu's goal finally broke the deadlock but the lead lasted just three minutes before Rasiak scored his fifth goal of the season.

Davis was in action early in the second half, denying King, Ellington and Smith and the goalkeeper's heroics were rewarded when Dyer brilliantly put Southampton ahead.

However, Henderson's late show saw Watford maintain their 100% record at Vicarage Road this season and go top of the table in the process.

All the reaction to Saints' defeat in tomorrow's Daily Echo