Search far and wide across the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 and you will struggle to find a better team goal than the one which conjured a first away victory of the season for Watford on Sunday.
Under the lights of the King Power Stadium the Golden Girls sparkled, their ingenuity turning a throw in inside their own half into a six-pass move which calved through a Leicester City side who sat two divisions above them last term.
Fast and incisive and combining defence, midfield and attack, the free-flowing foray required some magic at the end of it, which came courtesy of Vera Jones – the promising forward whose sorcery has been borrowed from Chelsea this season.
Blending pace with composure, the 18-year-old - latching on to a wonderful through ball from Poppy Wilson - was calmness personified as she sidestepped Leicester defender Heather Payne before tucking the ball into the far corner.
But Watford would expect nothing less from Jones.
“Vera doing Vera things,” said head coach Renee Hector, laughing in her post-match interview as she described the starlet who could render her speechless by the end of the season. “She’s a quality player, bundles of talent. I’m very happy for her.”
While caution must be applied when discussing a teenager who is still developing her game, the speed at which Jones has managed to become a key player for Watford is impressive to say the least.
Fresh from representing England at the U20 World Cup in September, she has already made five starts across the BWSL2 and the Subway Players Cup, registering four goal contributions (three goals, one assist) in those fixtures.
Before her match-winning heroics at Leicester, Jones scored a lovely free-kick in the narrow loss against high-flying Sunderland on 27 September, before a close-range finish helped Watford get the better of Durham a month later.
But what has been the key to her stunning form in yellow and black?
“I think the big thing is just the minutes, playing every weekend,” said Jones, who spent last season on loan at Bristol City, making several substitute appearances for Charlotte Healy’s promotion chasers.
“I haven’t had that properly yet in my career and then getting the opportunities here, I’m grateful for it every weekend. I’m just doing what I can and I’m really enjoying it out there on the pitch as well, so that helps.”
A club with a rich history of nurturing young talent, Watford have played a role in the development of Arsenal duo Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid and San Diego Wave midfielder Laila Harbert, while defensive duo Eva Gray and Zara Bailey (both aged 18) are hoping to join Jones by becoming the latest stars to emerge from Vicarage Road.
Alongside Gray and Bailey, Watford have a number of players who are helping Jones by easing the attacking pressure on her shoulders, from last season’s 25-goal taliswoman Madison Perry to summer signings Saoirse Noonan and Phoebie Poole.
And all four forwards are being supported by the aforementioned Wilson and the set-piece prowess of Aoibheann Clancy, with the midfield pair having posted three and four goal contributions respectively this season.
Watford boss Hector has also looked to aid Jones by putting her in positions to find space, deploying her behind Noonan in a 3-5-1-1 system or allowing her to drift in from the wing as Gray surges forward from right-back in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
“It’s so tough to come here, against a very good side by the way, on a nice big pitch, at the King Power Stadium, really loud,” said Hector, highlighting the team spirit which helped Watford earn all three points against Leicester.
“It’s tough, it’s so tough, and they mentally dug in so, so much and they believed [they could win] all the way from minute one until the end. That’s all I’ve been asking [for] and they delivered in abundance today.”
After beating Leicester thanks to Jones’ first-half winner, Watford – who returned to the BWSL2 after a two-year absence by winning the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title last term – are now up to seventh in the table.
And while they are fully focused on their trip to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday, Hector’s side have a tasty league clash on the horizon, with third-placed Ipswich Town heading to Hertfordshire this Sunday.
Having suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Tractor Girls in their last outing in the Subway Players Cup, Watford are hoping to get revenge this weekend – and they have every chance given the fantastic form of Jones, the joint-fourth top scorer in the BWSL2.
