Amin Nabizada struck for the third time this season, but Watford lost 1-2 to Stoke City on Saturday, 12 September. The 19-year-old academy winger's goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, too late to prevent a third defeat in five games.
A habit of scoring
Nabizada came off the bench with half an hour remaining and needed only that time to add his name to the scoresheet, finishing off a long-range effort with an assist from Edo Kayembe. It was his ninth appearance of the campaign and his third goal, following strikes against West Ham United and Southampton earlier in the season. His goal at West Ham won Watford's Skechers Goal of the Month award and has since been nominated for the EFL Championship's own Goal of the Month competition, as Watford Football Club reported this week.
Reaction from the winger
Nabizada said the run of goals reflected the work he has put in behind the scenes. "I'm happy that the hard work is paying off," he said. He was quick to add he has no plans to ease up, saying: "I can't take my foot off the gas now." The teenager pointed out that many of the defenders he faces have played 200 to 300 league games and are at the peak of their careers, underlining the scale of his early progress against senior opposition.
Where Watford stand
The defeat to Stoke leaves Watford 17th in the Championship on eight points from seven games, with a record of two wins, two draws and three losses. Their recent form reads one win, one draw and three defeats in the last five, and they sit six points behind leaders West Ham United. Watford have scored seven goals and conceded nine this season for a goal difference of minus two. In the Stoke game itself, Jack Mcglynn put the visitors ahead in the first half before Eric Junior Bocat added a second, with Lamine Cissé supplying the assist, before Nabizada's late reply. Supporters can check the club's standings and stats pages for the full breakdown of results this season.
Attention now turns to Ashton Gate, where Watford travel to face Bristol City on Friday, 18 September. Fans can plan ahead using the club's fixtures page, while the squad list shows who is available for a side searching for a first win in three.
