Watford moved up to third in the league with an assured 4–0 win over Gwalia United at Vicarage Road, a result that underlined the Hornets’ growing momentum. Florence Fyfe’s late goal put the finishing touch on a commanding Watford performance, capping a difficult afternoon for the visitors who were unable to match the intensity or composure of their hosts. There was little solace to be found on the pitch in Hertfordshire, as Maddison Perry’s brace and an opener from Ellie Head set the tone for a match Watford dominated for long spells.
The match began in cautious fashion, with both sides taking time to settle into the occasion under the spring sunshine. Gwalia, unfamiliar with the Premier League surroundings of Vicarage Road, struggled to impose themselves in the early exchanges.
Watford had the first real sight of goal in the 15th minute, a dangerous cross from the right causing confusion in the Gwalia box. Despite the nerves, Gwalia began to grow into the game. In the 19th minute, they built well down the left, a deflected cross falling kindly for Cull in the Watford goal. Moments later, Ellie-Mai Sanford picked up the ball high and tested Cull with a driven effort from distance. The keeper held firm.
Gwalia’s most controversial moment came in the 29th minute. Sanford again was at the heart of it, sliding in Casi Gregson. The forward appeared to get to the ball ahead of Cull, who came out and brought her down. Loud appeals followed, but the referee saw only a corner. It was a big call – and one that could have changed the complexion of the match. The warning signs had been there, and just minutes later, Watford took the lead. A slick move saw the ball squared across the face of goal where Ellie Head arrived unmarked to tap into an empty net in the 37th minute. It was a simple finish but richly deserved on the balance of play.
Watford could have doubled their lead before the break when Jessie Gale opted to go it alone rather than squaring to a teammate, her shot crashing off the post. At the half-time whistle, Gwalia had it all to do, trailing 1–0 and living dangerously against a Watford side growing in belief.
The second half could not have started worse for the visitors. Barely two minutes after the restart, Watford sliced through the Gwalia backline on the counter. Maddison Perry was the beneficiary, arriving late to tuck home a neat finish from close range. 2–0, and the Hornets were flying. Gwalia were reeling. Watford turned up the intensity, and Davies was forced into action again as wave after wave of yellow shirts surged forward. A goalmouth scramble in the 58th minute saw the visitors just about survive, but the pressure was mounting. Things went from bad to worse when a nasty injury to Lachante Paul halted play on the hour mark. The Watford winger, who had been a livewire throughout, was stretchered off to sympathetic applause from all sides of the ground. It was a sour note in an otherwise emphatic team display.
Bianca Baptiste came on in her place, and almost made an instant impact with a sumptuous curling effort that clipped the crossbar in the 75th minute. Davies was beaten, but the frame of the goal spared Gwalia. By then, Watford had already added a third. Another chaotic scene in the box saw the ball ping around before falling kindly to Perry, who lashed home her second in the 69th minute. As the final minutes ticked away, a cruel fourth was added by substitute Florence Fyfe in the 90th minute. It was a fine individual effort, carved from space on the edge of the box and fired low past Davies. It wrapped up the points for Watford and confirmed their rise to third in the standings – a remarkable climb after a sluggish start to their campaign.
