Copyright the42
League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Watford manager Javi Gracia and Rocco Vata during the Sky Bet Championship match at Vicarage Road.Alamy Stock Photo Freehot prospect Irish youngster hits winner as Watford prevail in Championship Rocco Vata was on target in the first home game of Javi Gracia’s second spell as Hornets manager. 11.03pm, 22 Oct 2025 Share options WATFORD RETURNED to winning ways with a 2-1 Championship comeback victory over West Brom in the first home game of Javi Gracia’s second spell as Hornets manager. Isaac Price’s fine strike after 34 minutes put Albion ahead, but Imran Louza cancelled that out — four minutes later — to set the stage for Republic of Ireland international Rocco Vata, 20, to seal victory after the break. The visitors would have gone third with a victory, but could not conjure up an equaliser as they dropped down to 10th and Watford moved up to 12th. Gracia, whose first stint ended in September 2019, waved to applauding home fans on being reintroduced before kick-off. The away fans sang, however, that he would be “sacked in the morning”, a cheeky reference to the Hornets’ habit of dispensing with managers, including Paulo Pezzolano on 8 October after just 10 games in charge. Advertisement Gracia had let Watford to the 2019 FA Cup final but was sacked following a poor start to the next Premier League campaign. Both sides struggled to create anything of note for the first half hour. The atmosphere was flat, the game badly in need of excitement and Price provided just that with a super strike in the 34th minute. Aune Heggebo dummied Mikey Johnston’s pass from the left flank for Price to control, adjust his body and fired high beyond home goalkeeper Egil Selvik from 20 yards out. It was the Northern Ireland international’s fifth goal of the season. That woke Watford up, with Louza celebrating an equally impressive leveller just four minutes later. Nat Phillips headed away Jeremy Ngakia’s cross from the right but only as far as the Watford captain, 20 yards from goal. Louza took a touch before curling a shot beyond Albion goalkeeper Josh Griffiths with his left foot. Luca Kjerrumgaard flashed a header across goal and wide from a corner as the hosts made a strong start to the second period, with Louza sending another effort over Griffiths but onto the top of the net. pic.twitter.com/TcyAC75mT8— 🔴 new follow: @centerofgoals (@AgnellaC82455) October 22, 2025 Vata fired Watford ahead in the 58th minute following a storming run down the left by Marc Bola. Bola left a challenger trailing as he motored along the byline, and although Phillips intercepted the cross, the Albion defender got the ball stuck under his feet and could only get it to Vata, who fired through a cluster of bodies from 14 yards. Selvik pulled off a good save to stop Price heading Albion level, with Irish defender James Abankwah clearing before Aune Heggebo could latch on to the rebound. Griffiths had to make a reflex save to deny Tom Ince at the other end before Watford saw out the closing stages with little alarm. Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Irish youngster hits winner as Watford prevail in Championship”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Irish youngster hits winner as Watford prevail in Championship”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Championship hot prospect Javi Gracia Ireland Republic News in 60 seconds What is happening with Mo Salah? Tottenham escape Monaco with a point, Bellingham strike helps Real Madrid edge Juventus 20 mins ago FreeTeenage Kicks Estevao nets first Champions League goal as Chelsea thrash 10-man Ajax Liverpool end losing streak with thumping win at Eintracht Frankfurt Freeaccolade Here are the 6 nominees for Irish Sports Book of the Year PodcastThe 42 GAA Weekly Declan Hannon retires and Limerick’s changing of the guard Mullins issues Gold Cup winner reappearance warning, Marine Nationale ready for Navan Jude McAtamney cut by New York Giants after missed kicks in loss to Denver Broncos Munster tie down Tom Farrell for another two seasons Freeaccolade Here are the 6 nominees for Irish Sports Book of the Year Munster putting tools in place to add more layers to their attack more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
