44 mins A Watford punt upfield was headed up in the air by Moussa Sissoko and Gini Wijnaldum challenged successfully for the loose ball. Facing his own goal he inexplicably side-footed the ball directly to Troy Deeney who strode into the box and evaded Elliot before slotting home. 0-1

Half time: Hornets 1 Magpies 0

Full time: Hornets 1 Magpies 0

Hertfordshire's leading Hugh Laurie lookie-likie Quique Sanchez Flores said:

"For us it was the perfect scenario. Newcastle has an amazing team, in the first half they probably had the control of the match. They have amazing players, amazing strikers. They have power, velocity and players of high technical (quality).

"Newcastle have a good trainer and well-respected coach. But in football sometimes you have a squad of good quality and the results are not good and they are nervous and not completely confident.

"But we respect Newcastle and in two weeks we have to play this team and again it will be a very tough match.'

"We are very happy because we are in the next round and that was the target. We respect the Cup and we try to put out the best team that is possible. We try to be competitive in every competition so for us it is a very happy day."
 

Another limp exit from the FA Cup wasn't a massive shock but for Steve McClaren to field his strongest side at Vicarage Road and lose again to Premier League opposition says it all.  

Much like the performance, McClaren's post-match comments were a rehash of the previous three - with talk of missed chances and unrewarded effort - but the problems are plain for anyone to see.

This team just isn't good enough and talk of bad luck is as tedious as it is inaccurate. A lack of penalties is due in no small part to not penetrating the opposition box often enough; our 25 crosses today without reward due to the clown entrusted with converting them and as for our shooting....

The outcome may have been the same as our FA Cup loss at Leicester City a year ago, but some effort was clearly evident from a team with just one change from the one beaten at Arsenal - no back passes to the goalkeeper in the closing stages as happened in 2015.

That change saw Jack Colback rested and Kevin Mbabu make only his third senior start, coming in at left back as Paul Dummett joined Fabricio Coloccini and Chancel Mbemba in a central defensive trio.  

Mbabu looked keen to impress and pushed on at every opportunity as United sought to end their goalscoring drought - Daryl Janmaat seeing his eighth minute shot beaten away by Heurelho Gomes. 

With Rob Elliot idle at the other end, Ayoze Perez could only side foot wide after a 27th minute counter attack, Aleksandar Mitrovic sending his near post header over from a corner soon after before Mbabu warmed the palms of Gomes five minutes before half time. 

By half time though United were somehow behind, after gift-wrapping a goal for a Hornets side who seemed as disinterested in proceedings as the Foxes had been a year earlier in this competition.

Our latest self-imposed rick saw Gini Wijnaldum attempt a suicidal backpass that Troy Deeney intercepted, waltzing past Elliot before calmly tucking the ball in. That's a seventh goal scored in his last 12 games - not bad for a player scouted by Newcastle but rejected as not being good enough - or French enough.... 

Coloccini failed to reappear after the break, having allegedly asked to make what was his first appearance in this competition since 2011 - a request that was granted despite the fact we're in Premier League action on Tuesday.

Presumably his withdrawal was with that in mind, but even playing 45 minutes seemed illogical and risky - a managerial decision that looked designed to avoid both terrace and pundit mockery. Or maybe the head coach doesn't want any stigma attached to him when searching for his next job. 

There were chances to level after the break, Sissoko setting up Perez to swung a shot wide and Mitrovic unable to get anything on a ball across the box from Moussa that seemed certain to result in a goal.

Then with 20 minutes remaining Sissoko ran 50 yards into the box but then preferred to pass to the blatantly offside Thauvin rather than shoot - that seemingly the point that which parts of the away support began to abuse their own team.

Isolated shouts of "we want our money back" and other insults were followed by a more concerted chorus of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" in the closing stages - the latter directed at Thauvin after he left the field to receive treatment on what looked a dubious injury. 

Not trusted to be part of the starting XI (begging the question just what eventuality would see him picked), the Frenchman gave a typically nonchalant display featuring precisely nothing of use to a football team. Almost laughably bad, our post-mortem generated the names of worse players who have donned our shirt, but none who cost so much for so little return. 

No better than when he arrived, there may be something of value in there to come out of Thauvin, but waiting around on the off-chance is time we just don't have. 

Previous seasons saw us query the mindset of a club aiming to be eliminated from the competition despite being in better shape than we now find ourselves in, but even talk of a win kick-starting our revival seemed like nothing but flannel to this malcontent.

Given that we are embedded so deeply in the mire, the FA Cup is a luxury way out of our reach but in opting to field his strongest available team here McClaren succeeded in laying bare the inadequacies of his best XI beyond all doubt to anyone watching - including the owner.

Whether that was the act of a desperate manager whose pleas are being ignored is unclear, but something more solid than gossip of an early return for Papiss Cisse or claims that Emmanuel Riviere is flying in training is needed quickly to halt what is becoming a Championship charge.  

If today finally jolted the powers-that-be to the reality of our plight then it's been a good result. To pitch up here again in two weeks with the same discredited, failing side will expose our alleged financial prudence as wilful negligence.

Biffa