Watford’s Under-23 side scored four and dominated the game against Crewe Alexandra as Kane Crichlow, Shaq Forde and a trialist got on the scoresheet in a game that took place at Vicarage Road.

The match was attended by the likes of Academy Director Richard Johnson and Under-18 Coach Tom Hart and the Hornets started the game well. They held on to possession and used Maurizio Pochettino as an outlet, with the winger delivering two dangerous balls across the six-yard line to no avail.

Against the run of play, however, Crewe found the breakthrough courtesy of Max Woodcock, who was found in behind the Hornets' defence and finished into the roof of the net.

Under-23 Coach Omer Riza was disappointed with the Crewe goal but felt his side were always in control.

“Even when we got hit with that goal we were in control of the game, but we weren’t doing things quickly enough, and we weren’t playing forward early enough when we had the opportunity to do so,” Riza said.

“We had ball carriers like Kane (Crichlow) and Shaq (Forde) who could receive on the half-turn to drive with the ball and (Maurizio) Pochettino who could get in behind. We had those players but didn’t make it count (early on), so I was disappointed to go one-nil down and sometimes that could be a big problem, but we handled it well and kept working to get back in the game.”

A big win for the U23s at The Vic! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GXK7dmmcHA

— Watford FC Academy (@WatfordFCAcad) August 27, 2021

Watford responded to the setback almost immediately as the trialist found the back of the net with a powerful header from a corner.

Now in the ascendancy, the Hornets took advantage of their pressure to take the lead only a few minutes later with the trialist on the scoresheet once more.

In the build-up, Crichlow produced an excellent piece of skill, jinking past multiple defenders, eventually laying the ball off to Ryan Andrews who delivered a driven ball into the middle that the trialist tapped home, taking a deflection on its way in.

The Golden Boys ended the first half in full control of the game as Forde, who scored a brace last time out against Sheffield Wednesday, made it three to the hosts as his shot deflected over the Crewe keeper and into the net.

Watford’s second half was a much more controlled affair, with less end-to-end action. Although, captain Andi Janjeva missed a good chance to put the game out of reach early on after James Morris delivered an accurate free-kick, but the skipper couldn’t head in at the far post.

The best goal of the game was the last as Crichlow rounded off a fantastic performance in style. He volleyed the ball into the top corner from just inside the box after substitute JJ McKiernan picked out the striker, extending Watford’s lead to three.

Riza was extremely impressed with Crichlow and hopes he can continue to further his footballing development and maintain his consistency.

“I know the quality that Kane (Crichlow) has,” he said.

“Today we played him a bit deeper, playing him in one of the 8s, and it allowed him to get on the ball and drive, which is what he is really good at. He likes taking people on and he did it really well today and caused a lot of problems. We’re very happy with him and he worked really well out of possession and that’s what Kane is about, these are the qualities that he’s got.”

Andrews, Crichlow and substitute Tobi Adeyemo all forced good saves out of Sam Booth in net for Crewe, but the scoreline remained unchanged, which meant Watford secured the victory.

Riza was extremely pleased with the performance, making it two wins in a row.

“First and foremost, it was a really good result for the boys,” he said.

“Their confidence levels after pre-season (were low) and we were talking about a lot of results that were negative and against us really. We played a lot of Conference sides and senior men’s teams which has been a really good learning tool for our boys going into the league.

“They played very well and took on the game plan, applied it with individual quality and team organisation. I’m happy with the result and very happy with the players because they need that. It will give them that confidence rolling into the next game.”

Forde has now scored three goals in two games and Riza is very happy with his form and hopes that he can maintain this momentum.

“I know what his character is like and how he works,” Riza added.

“He wants to be challenged and Under-23s is exactly where he is at, at the moment. He won’t be going back down. He’s getting better and will continue to do so.”

The game took place at the home of the Hornets, Vicarage Road, and Riza was impressed with how his side handled the occasion.

“It was great because we had people watching and it was nice for the boys,” Riza explained.

“We were a young team today which was refreshing. We had a 15-year-old on the pitch, we had first-year scholars on the pitch, some first-year pros. It was a very good day, the boys took to the pitch and the stadium well and we got a good result so I’m very happy.”