Albion 0, Watford 2
Amid the wreckage of an awful season for Albion, emphasised by a 19th defeat and 18th blank sheet, there is a chink of light.
They may not have much of a team but they have a central midfield partnership to match most of their rivals in the Championship.
Players who would stand a chance of getting in the Watford side now heading for the Premier League and along the coast at Bournemouth, who will be joining them in the top flight next season if they beat Bolton tonight.
Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens provide a starting point for Chris Hughton's rebuilding plans and comfort that, in one area of the pitch at least, there is not a lot wrong.
Hughton remarked after Bournemouth won by the same score at the Amex earlier this month that Kayal and Stephens had the edge in the middle of the park.
They did not look out of place against the promotion-clinching leaders either.
There is surely better to come from both of them as well. The more they play together the more an understanding will develop.
They did not start alongside each other until mid-March. Kayal only arrived from in January from Celtic, where he had become a peripheral figure.
Stephens had been eased back with substitute appearances until the 1-1 home draw with Wolves, following ten months out with a serious ankle injury.
They were at the heart of most of what was good about Albion against Watford, especially Kayal.
He shone in and out of possession, particularly in the first half when they were the better side.
Kayal and Stephens between them offer drive and mobility. They are accomplished with the ball, combative without it.
All that has been missing is another goal or two, although both have done enough to suggest they are capable of contributing more in that respect next season too.
Kayal leapt high to nod in on his debut as a substitute against Nottingham Forest, Stephens came off the bench to score against Derby and was on target in the last away game at Wigan.
Kayal's form has been encouraging in the context of Hughton transforming Albion's fortunes next season.
The manager inherited Stephens, signed 15 months ago after Andrew Crofts suffered the first of two bad knee injuries.
A fit Crofts will add further competition to the midfield mix but Kayal's relevance is greater because he is the one permanent signing so far under the Hughton regime.
Forget Leon Best's disapppointing contribution since he was borrowed from Blackburn. Landing a striker in January who will make a difference is a big ask.
Picking up Kayal for a bargain £325,000 was a smart bit of business by Hughton and the revamped recruitment team which will have to be repeated over and over again through the summer for Albion to be back in a position to challenge.
Kayal and Stephens need a bit more behind them, a lot, lot more in front of them for Hughton to turn Albion back into contenders.
At one stage in the first half the breaking Kayal looked up and had nobody ahead of him.
Even late in the second half, as Albion chased an equaliser, substitute Inigo Calderon looked up and had nobody to cross to.
Does this reflect a cautious approach from Hughton? Well, he spent much of the second half urging his players further up the pitch and getting frustrated by an absence of tempo in their attacking efforts when possession was turned over.
It was a pity Stephens could not tuck away late on Albion's best chance of parity when Calderon's pass invited a shot of far greater conviction to trouble Heurelho Gomes.
During the flurry Chris O'Grady headed a cross from Calderon inches wide and the released Craig Mackail-Smith, brought on for his final home appearance against his home town club, and Joe Bennett were denied in the same incident by Gomes.
The relief for Watford was tangible as sub Matej Vydra, found in acres of space by Troy Deeney, sealed deep into stoppage time the three points which became three promotion-sealing points with Middlesbrough's subsequent defeat at Fulham.
Watford's game management for the majority of the period between their goals was impressively efficient but the first half was a snapshot of Hughton's reign to date.
His tactic of matching Watford's three-at-the-back formation and playing Mustapha Carayol behind O'Grady unsettled the visitors to such an extent that Slavisa Jokanovic, their fourth manager of a remarkable season, was forced into an early change, dispensing with the width of Ikechi Anya and introducing the dependability of Daniel Tozser.
Hughton's side had promising spells without really threatening to score and the good work was undone by giving away a poor goal. Sound familiar?
Greg Halford's clearing header skywards was misplaced by Gordon Greer into the path of Odion Ighalo, who set up Deeney for a ruthless finish.
It was Deeney's 21st goal of the season. He also has nine assists after setting up Vydra.
Ighalo has 20 goals. Vydra, on the bench remember, has now scored 15.
Contrast this with Albion. Watford have gone through more managers than Mackail-Smith, O'Grady and Best's combined total of league goals.
The closing results at the Amex make depressing reading: 0-1, 0-2, 0-0, 0-2, albeit three of them were against top sides.
Mathematical survival with Millwall's draw against Derby is no comfort. Hughton has a lot of ground to make up in the summer but at least he has Kayal and Stephens.
Original article
Amid the wreckage of an awful season for Albion, emphasised by a 19th defeat and 18th blank sheet, there is a chink of light.
They may not have much of a team but they have a central midfield partnership to match most of their rivals in the Championship.
Players who would stand a chance of getting in the Watford side now heading for the Premier League and along the coast at Bournemouth, who will be joining them in the top flight next season if they beat Bolton tonight.
Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens provide a starting point for Chris Hughton's rebuilding plans and comfort that, in one area of the pitch at least, there is not a lot wrong.
Hughton remarked after Bournemouth won by the same score at the Amex earlier this month that Kayal and Stephens had the edge in the middle of the park.
They did not look out of place against the promotion-clinching leaders either.
There is surely better to come from both of them as well. The more they play together the more an understanding will develop.
They did not start alongside each other until mid-March. Kayal only arrived from in January from Celtic, where he had become a peripheral figure.
Stephens had been eased back with substitute appearances until the 1-1 home draw with Wolves, following ten months out with a serious ankle injury.
They were at the heart of most of what was good about Albion against Watford, especially Kayal.
He shone in and out of possession, particularly in the first half when they were the better side.
Kayal and Stephens between them offer drive and mobility. They are accomplished with the ball, combative without it.
All that has been missing is another goal or two, although both have done enough to suggest they are capable of contributing more in that respect next season too.
Kayal leapt high to nod in on his debut as a substitute against Nottingham Forest, Stephens came off the bench to score against Derby and was on target in the last away game at Wigan.
Kayal's form has been encouraging in the context of Hughton transforming Albion's fortunes next season.
The manager inherited Stephens, signed 15 months ago after Andrew Crofts suffered the first of two bad knee injuries.
A fit Crofts will add further competition to the midfield mix but Kayal's relevance is greater because he is the one permanent signing so far under the Hughton regime.
Forget Leon Best's disapppointing contribution since he was borrowed from Blackburn. Landing a striker in January who will make a difference is a big ask.
Picking up Kayal for a bargain £325,000 was a smart bit of business by Hughton and the revamped recruitment team which will have to be repeated over and over again through the summer for Albion to be back in a position to challenge.
Kayal and Stephens need a bit more behind them, a lot, lot more in front of them for Hughton to turn Albion back into contenders.
At one stage in the first half the breaking Kayal looked up and had nobody ahead of him.
Even late in the second half, as Albion chased an equaliser, substitute Inigo Calderon looked up and had nobody to cross to.
Does this reflect a cautious approach from Hughton? Well, he spent much of the second half urging his players further up the pitch and getting frustrated by an absence of tempo in their attacking efforts when possession was turned over.
It was a pity Stephens could not tuck away late on Albion's best chance of parity when Calderon's pass invited a shot of far greater conviction to trouble Heurelho Gomes.
During the flurry Chris O'Grady headed a cross from Calderon inches wide and the released Craig Mackail-Smith, brought on for his final home appearance against his home town club, and Joe Bennett were denied in the same incident by Gomes.
The relief for Watford was tangible as sub Matej Vydra, found in acres of space by Troy Deeney, sealed deep into stoppage time the three points which became three promotion-sealing points with Middlesbrough's subsequent defeat at Fulham.
Watford's game management for the majority of the period between their goals was impressively efficient but the first half was a snapshot of Hughton's reign to date.
His tactic of matching Watford's three-at-the-back formation and playing Mustapha Carayol behind O'Grady unsettled the visitors to such an extent that Slavisa Jokanovic, their fourth manager of a remarkable season, was forced into an early change, dispensing with the width of Ikechi Anya and introducing the dependability of Daniel Tozser.
Hughton's side had promising spells without really threatening to score and the good work was undone by giving away a poor goal. Sound familiar?
Greg Halford's clearing header skywards was misplaced by Gordon Greer into the path of Odion Ighalo, who set up Deeney for a ruthless finish.
It was Deeney's 21st goal of the season. He also has nine assists after setting up Vydra.
Ighalo has 20 goals. Vydra, on the bench remember, has now scored 15.
Contrast this with Albion. Watford have gone through more managers than Mackail-Smith, O'Grady and Best's combined total of league goals.
The closing results at the Amex make depressing reading: 0-1, 0-2, 0-0, 0-2, albeit three of them were against top sides.
Mathematical survival with Millwall's draw against Derby is no comfort. Hughton has a lot of ground to make up in the summer but at least he has Kayal and Stephens.
Original article