Date: Sunday, 14 March 2026 | Location: Valley Parade
The pitch glistened slightly under the fading afternoon sun, the rain from the morning still clinging to the surface. Valley Parade buzzed with quiet tension—not the raucous energy of a derby, but the kind that settled deep in the chest. Watford, mid-table but sharp on dead balls, stood across the halfway line in tight formation, already barking instructions and throwing elbows.
Jake Wilson stood at the edge of his technical area, arms folded. His bench behind him was heavy—Silva, Vélez, Costa, and Roney all rested. It wasn't arrogance. It was survival. Three days after Alkmaar, half the team still walked like their thighs were on fire.
"Earn this one with grit, not glamour," he'd said before kickoff. "Every point counts—especially the ones no one sees coming."
