Football: Shearer too sharp for Watford

Blackburn Rovers. .6

Watford . . . . . .1

BY HIS own extraordinary standards in early season, Alan Shearer has had a quiet few weeks. Watford will be wary in future of waking sleeping giants after being on the receiving end of the two goals he scored and the other four in which he played a vital part at Ewood Park last night.

It was a performance on a par with the way he destroyed Norwich in October and it put Blackburn into the quarter-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup for the first time since it was the plain old League Cup 30 years ago.

It was, however, the slightly hesitant Blackburn of recent weeks, rather than the rampant Premier League terrorists of early autumn who were on duty early in the tie.

Watford, who had not scored in four League games since knocking out Leeds in the previous round, looked likely to break that drought in the opening minutes.

The muscular approach work of Paul Furlong gave him a clear run at goal and his chip was pushed over by Bobby Mimms. Andy Hessenthaler saw a low shot fizz wide, Furlong threatened again and Darren Bazeley dropped a centre onto the roof of the net.

Nothing was seen of Shearer for the first 25 minutes, but they could be forgiven for holding an inquest at Vicarage Road to discover who shouted in his ear or slapped his face to bring him devastatingly to life.

Mark Atkins started and finished the move for the first goal, but Shearer's flick forward for Mike Newell was the perfect link.

Newell, a worthy partner for Shearer again last night, held up the ball on the fringe of the area for Atkins to arrive and coolly finished the move he had started 70 yards back.

Shearer's first was pure instinct. A poor corner bobbled innocently towards him; a venomous strike, a bulging net and Rovers were on their way to a fifth-round tie at home to Cambridge.

Newell has been the provider for Shearer so often this season that it was only fitting that compliments should be returned, as they were twice in the second half.

A brave, stooping header from Gordon Cowans's centre put the ball at Newell's feet, although the former Everton man delayed for an age and may finally have had some help from Keith Dublin in putting the ball past Perry Suckling.

Suckling had only himself to blame for the fourth, pushing Stuart Ripley's centre onto Shearer's instep with the inevitable result.

With everything collapsing at the back, Watford at least continued to show some fight in attack. Bazeley's cross gave Furlong a free header at goal which went narrowly wide and then the same combination, with Mimms fumbling the cross, led to Furlong shooting home from close range.

Mimms made amends with a courageous triple save before Blackburn applied the final flourishes. Shearer's hooked centre let Newell rise to head in off the post and the England striker completed the damage by flicking the ball on for the substitute, Roy Wegerle, to score the sixth goal five minutes from time.

Blackburn Rovers: Mimms; May, Wright, Atkins, Hendry, Dobson, Ripley (Wegerley, 79), Cowans (Makel, 79), Shearer, Newell, Wilcox.

Watford: Suckling; Putney, Drysdale, Dublin, Holdsworth, Bazeley, Hessenthaler, Nogan, Furlong, Porter, Lavin. Substitutes not used: Johnson, Alsford.

Referee: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).

Dalglish's return, page 34