English League Championship play-off final: Leeds 0, Watford 3 Kevin Blackwell could never have imagined the implications of his coach Adrian Boothroyd joining Watford last year.
After little more than 14 months in charge the man whose appointment was greeted by supporters at Vicarage Road with concern, bewilderment and general unease, yesterday etched his name in the club's history and confirmed his status as one of the brightest young managers in English football when he secured promotion to the FA Premiership at the expense of his former mentor.
It is a remarkable story and one that comes laced with an estimated £35million financial windfall, the reward for a place in the top flight through television income, merchandise sales and ticket revenues.
Those that underestimate Boothroyd do so at their peril. On this evidence there is no ceiling to his managerial capabilities which inspired a Watford side full of motivation, desire and passion to a resounding victory.
This was a stirring performance and one that carried all the hallmarks of a manager who prides himself on thorough preparation. The direct style of play may not be particularly pleasing on the eye but that should not detract from the extraordinary turnaround Boothroyd has overseen.
When he arrived at the club the immediate aim was to prevent Watford from sliding into League One. His next objective is to succeed where Graham Taylor failed six years ago and keep Watford in the Premiership.
Leeds were crushed. Watford's high-tempo approach could not be countered and nor could their threat on set plays.
All three goals came from such and there might have been more such was Watford's overwhelming superiority. The occasion was simply too much for Leeds, as was the sight of Darius Henderson dispatching a penalty with seven minutes to go.
It was the final blow in a thumping defeat and prompted the hordes of Leeds supporters located behind the goal at the opposite end of the stadium to head for the exits.
Promotion would have satisfied Leeds's debtors and perhaps allowed Peter Ridsdale, the former chairman who precipitated the club's fall from grace with his outrageous spending, to sit more comfortably as he looked on from the stands here. His legacy goes on, however, as does Leeds's tenure in the Championship where another campaign now beckons.
His tactics had been ruthlessly exposed by his protege. Boothroyd's decision to play with two strikers unsettled Leeds and there was no value to a midfield triumvirate that failed to keep possession. The Leeds manager changed his formation at the beginning of the second half when he introduced Robbie Blake but by then Watford had seized the initiative. Jay DeMerit, taking advantage of Rob Hulse's failure to track his run, headed in the first after 25 minutes from James Chambers's corner.
Boothroyd, patrolling the touchline throughout, scribbled furiously. Not so long ago he was making notes about the Leeds players, having taken on the role of a first-team coach at Elland Road. Now he was gloriously plotting their downfall.
Leeds's start had been timid and sluggish although Shaun Derry was denied in the ninth minute when Lloyd Doyley cleared after Ben Foster's poor punch.
It was a rare attack, though, and much of the first half was spent on the back foot. With Marlon King's pace troubling the Leeds defence there was scant opportunity to break forward. A penalty claim on the stroke of half-time, when Foster appeared to haul down Hulse, offered Leeds hope, though the referee Mike Dean harshly deemed that Frazer Richardson nudged the goalkeeper in the back.
Watford were soon inflicting further punishment. Gavin Mahon's long throw caused consternation in the Leeds area and from around eight yards Chambers swivelled before firing a low shot that ballooned off the right boot of Eddie Lewis and in at the near post despite Neil Sullivan's attempts to save. Leeds could have no complaint with the source of the goal. Less than two minutes had passed when Watford signalled their intent to profit from set play and only a fortuitous ricochet off Paul Butler denied Henderson.
It was not until the concession of a second goal that Leeds found any fluency. David Healy angled a drive from 12 yards into the arms of Foster. Moments later Derry saw his header hacked off the line by Chambers and from the corner that followed Lewis propelled a 20-yard strike goalbound only for Foster to save again. With those opportunities and a swift break upfield the game slipped away.
Matthew Spring gambolled forward on the left before releasing King. Derry, chasing back, clipped the Watford striker's heels. Dean pointed to the penalty spot. Henderson stepped forward confidently before cooling despatching his kick into the corner of the net. Watford were in dreamland and the fairy tale that began under such unlikely circumstances near the end of last season was complete.
LEEDS: Sullivan, Kelly, Butler, Gregan (Bakke 84), Kilgallon, Richardson (Blake 45), Miller (Healy 62), Derry, Douglas, Lewis, Hulse. Subs Not Used: Bennett, Stone. Booked: Gregan, Miller, Derry.
WATFORD: Foster, Doyley, Mackay, DeMerit, Stewart, Chambers (Bangura 72), Mahon, Spring, Young, King, Henderson. Subs Not Used: Chamberlain, Eagles, Bouazza, Mariappa. Booked: Spring, Doyley, Mahon. Goals: DeMerit 25, Sullivan 57 og, Henderson 84 pen.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
