SUPER-SUB RASIAK IS WATFORD'S FA CUP HERO
Gregorz Rasiak came off the bench to score the only goal of Watford’s FA Cup Third Round win over Scunthorpe United – and save manager Brendan Rodgers’s blushes as the Championship club failed to muster a noteworthy effort until the Polish forward’s second-half entrance.
League One club Scunthorpe, relegated from the Championship last season, had the better of the earlier exchanges and after 14 minutes Martyn Woolford cut in off his left wing and fired a shot that forced goalkeeper Scott Loach to make a good save low to his left.
Rodgers, the former Chelsea reserve team manager who took charge at Vicarage Road in late November, handed starting debuts to teenage loan players Gavin Hoyte, a right-back, and Jack Cork, a holding midfielder, but Watford found it tough to create any opportunities in the final third.
Rodgers waited until the 60th minute before switching to a more attacking formation – from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 – and introducing Polish striker Rasiak. And it took only seven minutes for the manager to get his reward for going more gung-ho.
Jobi McAnuff’s corner was swung in from the left and flicked on by centre-back Adrian Mariappa. It dropped at the back post and the 29-year-old, on loan from Southampton, showed his natural goalscoring instincts by poking home with his left foot. Rodgers’s team held on for the victory while Scunthorpe trooped home feeling hard done by.
“That is the contribution that Grzegorz can make – it was fantastic,” said Rodgers of the winner. “He has got game-changing goals all though his career.
“I like to play a 4-3-3 but I felt it was not working and that we needed more support higher up the field. I pushed Grzegorz up in to a 4-4-2 and I was very pleased.”
Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins said: “We’re very disappointed. Defensively we looked very comfortable and offensively we had opportunities in the first half.
“It is very frustrating because we thought we should have come away with something. But that is the FA Cup – it just wasn’t to be.”
Watford (4-3-3):
Loach 6; Hoyte 6 (Bridcutt 6), DeMerit (c) 5, Mariappa 6, Harley 6; O'Toole 6 (Rasiak 8), Cork 6, Jenkins 7; Smith 7, Priskin 6 (Bromby 5), McAnuff 8.
Subs: Lee (gk), Bromby, Bridcutt, Rasiak, Doyley, Hoskins, Young.
Booked: O’Toole
Scunthorpe United (4-4-2):
Murphy 6; Wright 6, Byrne (c) 7, Pearce 6, Williams 6; Thompson 7 (Sparrow 6), McCann 6, Togwell 6 (Forte 5), Woolford 7 (Hurst 5); Hayes 6, Hooper 7.
Subs: Lillis (gk), Picton, Sparrow, Mirfin, Hurst, Forte, Crosby.
Booked: Byrne
Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire)
Hero: Grzeorz Rasiak
The on-loan striker’s second-half introduction prove the winning catalyst for Watford.
Villain: John-Joe O’Toole
The young midfielder worked hard but was booked and substituted manager Rodgers switched to a more attacking formation.
Magic moment: Rasiak’s winner, from Jobi McAnuff’s corner. The Polish international was lurking at the back post and was able to steer the ball home.
Gregorz Rasiak came off the bench to score the only goal of Watford’s FA Cup Third Round win over Scunthorpe United – and save manager Brendan Rodgers’s blushes as the Championship club failed to muster a noteworthy effort until the Polish forward’s second-half entrance.
League One club Scunthorpe, relegated from the Championship last season, had the better of the earlier exchanges and after 14 minutes Martyn Woolford cut in off his left wing and fired a shot that forced goalkeeper Scott Loach to make a good save low to his left.
Rodgers, the former Chelsea reserve team manager who took charge at Vicarage Road in late November, handed starting debuts to teenage loan players Gavin Hoyte, a right-back, and Jack Cork, a holding midfielder, but Watford found it tough to create any opportunities in the final third.
Rodgers waited until the 60th minute before switching to a more attacking formation – from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 – and introducing Polish striker Rasiak. And it took only seven minutes for the manager to get his reward for going more gung-ho.
Jobi McAnuff’s corner was swung in from the left and flicked on by centre-back Adrian Mariappa. It dropped at the back post and the 29-year-old, on loan from Southampton, showed his natural goalscoring instincts by poking home with his left foot. Rodgers’s team held on for the victory while Scunthorpe trooped home feeling hard done by.
“That is the contribution that Grzegorz can make – it was fantastic,” said Rodgers of the winner. “He has got game-changing goals all though his career.
“I like to play a 4-3-3 but I felt it was not working and that we needed more support higher up the field. I pushed Grzegorz up in to a 4-4-2 and I was very pleased.”
Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins said: “We’re very disappointed. Defensively we looked very comfortable and offensively we had opportunities in the first half.
“It is very frustrating because we thought we should have come away with something. But that is the FA Cup – it just wasn’t to be.”
Watford (4-3-3):
Loach 6; Hoyte 6 (Bridcutt 6), DeMerit (c) 5, Mariappa 6, Harley 6; O'Toole 6 (Rasiak 8), Cork 6, Jenkins 7; Smith 7, Priskin 6 (Bromby 5), McAnuff 8.
Subs: Lee (gk), Bromby, Bridcutt, Rasiak, Doyley, Hoskins, Young.
Booked: O’Toole
Scunthorpe United (4-4-2):
Murphy 6; Wright 6, Byrne (c) 7, Pearce 6, Williams 6; Thompson 7 (Sparrow 6), McCann 6, Togwell 6 (Forte 5), Woolford 7 (Hurst 5); Hayes 6, Hooper 7.
Subs: Lillis (gk), Picton, Sparrow, Mirfin, Hurst, Forte, Crosby.
Booked: Byrne
Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire)
Hero: Grzeorz Rasiak
The on-loan striker’s second-half introduction prove the winning catalyst for Watford.
Villain: John-Joe O’Toole
The young midfielder worked hard but was booked and substituted manager Rodgers switched to a more attacking formation.
Magic moment: Rasiak’s winner, from Jobi McAnuff’s corner. The Polish international was lurking at the back post and was able to steer the ball home.
Labels: Brendan Rodgers, FA Cup, Grzegorz Rasiak, Scunthorpe, Watford
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