Time for forward thinking at Watford

Wrap that Hoskins boy in cotton wool…

The former Rotherham hitman is the ONLY centre forward available for selection ahead of the visit of Reading…and even he`s only just recovered from a groin strain!!!

The Hornets 'tale of striking` woe took an unexpected turn for the worse last night after Tamas Priskin was the latest line leader to pull up injured with a hamstring snap.

So that`s Rasiak (shoulder), Robinson (arm), Liam Henderson (sunburn from Valencia?) and the Hungarian hitman all ruled out, leaving Aidy Boothroyd with a major head ache upfront.

The Hornets chief said "We`ve got 1 recognised centre forward at the club now who`s fit in Will Hoskins and Tommy Smith`s playing up there in an unaccustomed position and doing very, very well".

But couple the full treatment room with the loan departures of Ashikodi, Ellington and Kabba - who incidently scored with a corker for Blackpool at the weekend - and well, the Vicarage Road cupboards are bare.

Boothroyd has even admitted the striker shortage has got that bad he`ll need to go cap in hand to the tight-fisted board in a bid to beg, steal and borrow a frontman from somewhere.

He added "I've got to go and have a chat with the chairman and see what's available because it's a lot to ask with the amount of games we`ve got in a short space of time".

"We`ve got to make sure we get some bodies to be able to cope with the workload."

Let`s just hope then though that any loan signing is more of a Mooney than a Benjamin.

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