Deeney gets ‘weight off shoulders’ with 100th Hornets goal

Troy Deeney will be walking a little taller following his penalty against Crystal Palace after admitting a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The spot-kick was his 100th strike for the Hornets, a milestone he had not looked like reaching in recent weeks, after his goalscoring touch deserted him.

But, with the monkey now off his back, he had a new target in his sights.

“It’s nice to finally get it done,” he said.

“I’ve been having a bit of a stinker recently so it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. It’s one of those that when I retire I’ll look back on how nice it is, but I’ve got to get 105 now to get to fourth place [in Watford’s all-time scoring chart].”

Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images

The goal was just Deeney’s fourth Premier League strike this season, and first since notching against Bournemouth at the start of October.

And his boss, Walter Mazzarri, was pleased to see his talisman back in the goals, with the penalty earning his side a point against struggling Crystal Palace.

“I am happy with the point and that Deeney scored his 100th goal,” said the Italian. “It seemed that it had been a heavy weight he was carrying on his back. Now this is over.”