Hornets deliver fatal sting to Leeds dream

Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann (R) slides in to tackle Watford's Gavin Mahon (C). Goals by Jay DeMerit, James Chambers and a penalty by Darius Henderson sent Watford into the Premiership for only the second time in 18 years at the expense of Leeds United.

Goals by Jay DeMerit, James Chambers and a penalty by Darius Henderson sent Watford into the Premiership for only the second time in 18 years at the expense of Leeds United.

The Yorkshire giants were strongly fancied to return to the top flight of English football after a two-year absence, but came unstuck in this Championship Play-Off final as Adrian Boothroyd's unfashionable side triumphed 3-0 on Sunday at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Leeds had been showing signs of emerging from a period of despair which saw them relegated from the Premiership after racking up a 100 million pounds debt, just three years after they had reached the Champions League semi-final against Valencia in 2001.

But victory will mean so much for Adrian Boothroyd, who at 35, is the Championship's youngest manager. He was dismissed as a cheap replacement for predecessor Ray Lewington, who had kept the Hertfordshire club in the Championship on limited resources for the previous three years.

Now next season he will take his side to venues like Old Trafford, Anfield and Arsenal's brand new Emirates Stadium, knowing he has earned the right to rub shoulders with the elite clubs of the English game.

He set up his team with a bold 4-4-2 approach, and they over-ran Leeds for most of the contest, which saw them recapture some of the glory of Graham Taylor's era of the eighties when the Hornets reached an FA Cup final and finished runners-up in the old first division.

The first chance of the match fell to Leeds when Watford keeper Ben Foster, on loan from Manchester United, punched an eighth minute cross straight to Liam Miller, also on loan from Old Trafford, but the former Celtic player saw his low shot deflected wide.

Then 16 minutes later Watford stunned their opponents when Ashley Young's corner from the left was met with a thunderous diving header from Chicago-born defender Jay DeMerit.

DeMerit, 26, was studying for a degree in industrial design at the University of Illinois at Chicago just two years ago, before earning a two-year deal with Watford.

The goal rocked Leeds, and Blackwell will have been displeased at the slack marking which allowed DeMerit to run from deep to power in from a set-piece.

Blackwell made a change at half-time and replaced Frazer Richardson with Robbie Blake. But things just got worse for Leeds.

Eleven minutes into the second half Gavin Mahon's long throw was flicked on by Malky Mackay, and with his back to goal James Chambers turned and shot goalwards and found the inside of the post via a cruel deflection off goalkeeper Neil Sullivan.

The second goal was a crushing blow for Leeds, and Blackwell again responded by introducing David Healy, the player whose winner for Northern Ireland floored England in World Cup qualifying, in place of Miller.

Within minutes they thought they had found a way back into the game, but Shaun Derry's glancing header from a corner was cleared off the line by Jordan Stewart.

Watford broke upfield almost immediately and Matthew Spring's vicious effort from a left-sided angle was palmed away by Sullivan.

But in the 83rd minute, Watford wrapped up victory when Derry felled Marlon King in the area, allowing Darius Henderson to beat Sullivan from the spot.

It was Derry's accidental challenge that prematurely ended Boothroyd's playing career in a lower league match between Notts County and Peterborough back in 1996.

How life must seem so much sweeter for Boothroyd 10 years on.