By Football Reporter
By Football Reporter
An inspired Watford overturned a two-goal deficit to claim a valuable point in an enthralling 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road.
Excellent finishes from Kirsty Barton and Sophie McLean had Palace coasting, but Ylenia Priest and Anaisa Harney struck twice late on to give Watford their first-ever Championship point.
Palace took some time to find their feet, but Kirsty Barton eventually got them ticking, her ability to retain possession bringing wide players Siobhan Wilson and Bianca Baptise into the game.
And it was Barton who opened the scoring with a brilliant curled effort into the top-left hand corner after she’d seen her initial effort thwarted by Georgie Ferguson.
Feeding on scraps, Hornets captain Helen Ward ran tirelessly across the frontline to work an opportunity for Rosie Kmita to deliver a teasing ball into the path of Flo Fyfe, who could only volley harmlessly wide.
Palace should have been two up moments later when Baptiste released Coral-Jade Haines, but she was denied by a brave low stop from the advancing Ferguson.
Molly Mae-Sharpe cracked one off the bar just before the break as Palace ratcheted up the pressure before McLean added a slick second.
She met a perfectly timed slide pass from Haines, proceeding to make no mistake from ten yards.
But, Clinton Lancaster’s side rallied in some style. Substitute Harney headed wide despite being all alone in front of goal before Priest stabbed home after Palace failed to deal with a corner.
Just seven minutes later, the north Londoners were level. Emily Orman failed to cling onto a routine Kmita cross, and Harney needed no second invite to lash home, ensuring derby day honours ended even.
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Watford head coach, Clinton Lancaster said: “We’ve worked so hard in training and all the girls have been outstanding, so to finally get that point we are so pleased.
“As a staff, we said before the game we’d take a point because Palace are a good side. So, it was incredible really. We are absolutely delighted and so proud of the players.
“Anaisa Harney was outstanding, she changed the game. When she’s been coming off the bench she’s been working her socks off, and she’s a real talent. And, a word for Georgie Ferguson also, she was class and kept us in it.
”We made some changes in the second half because we had to get back in the game, and we altered the system a little bit, and we might have even won it.
“I certainly hope this will be the catalyst towards turning the corner for the rest of the season. We’ve been working hard and the girls have been doing everything to get a result, and we’ve now got a reasonable run of games up to Christmas where we’ve got to be looking at getting some more points.”
Crystal Palace boss Dean Davenport said: “My exact word at full-time was ‘coasting’ because that was unacceptable to be winning 2-0, playing some really good football and not see the game out.
”When we concede the first, a little bit of panic sets in for reasons we don’t know why, and it’s just unacceptable when we’re cruising.
“I think we stopped playing as units and once you do that, that’s when it gets a little disjointed.
"The first goal came from a set-piece when it’s bouncing around in the box and we don’t clear it - we were too hesitant. And the second goal is a gift, and we can’t keep giving presents.
”We should be seeing games out and we should be further up the league. We’ve totally changed as a football club and as a football team in trying to play more and we look dangerous, but I am really disappointed.
"The game should have been dead and buried, even in the first half, with the chances we created.”
Watford (3-5-2): Georgie Ferguson; Ryah Vyse, Ylenia Priest, Anne Meiwald; Rosie Kmita, Emma Beckett, Flo Fyfe, Rubie Smith, Adekite Fatuga-Dada; Corinne Henson, Helen Ward (c)
Substitutes: Anaisa Harney for Fyfe 57, Ronnell Humes for Fatuga-Dada 74, Leanne Bell for Smith 74
Substitutes not used: Mia Smith (gk), Gemma Biggadike, Aaliyah Charles, Ella Waldron
Goals: Priest 78, Harney 85
Crystal Palace (3-5-2): Emily Orman; Lizzie Waldie, Annabel Johnson (c), Gracie Pearse; Siobhan Wilson, Kirsty Barton, Aimee Everett, Sophie McLean, Bianca Baptiste; Coral-Jade Haines, Molly-Mae Sharpe
Substitutes: Leanne Cowan for Wilson 76, Charley Clifford for McLean 84
Substitutes not used: Chloe Morgan (gk), Leigh Nicol, Grace Coombs
Goals: Barton 14, McLean 54
Referee: Steven Hughes
Attendance: 618