Hornets will start next term's First Division campaign without first choice midfield duo Johnson and Hyde

Injured Johnson out for a year

WATFORD are still counting the cost of this season. Despite a fine performance against Manchester United, the frustration of defeat was enhanced with the news that Richard Johnson sustained a cruciate ligament injury during his five-minute appearance on Saturday.

The Australian international is likely to be out of action for a year, having also injured his lateral knee ligaments and lateral cartilage.

With Micah Hyde facing a three-game suspension commencing on the day of the Coventry game, Watford will start their First Division campaign next August without their two first-choice midfielders.

'Richard faces a very long time out of the game. The knee is very swollen and there is unlikely to be an operation on his knee for two to three weeks until it settles down,' said Graham Taylor this week. 'It is a serious operation.'

Older Watford fans will recall Martin Patching underwent a similar operation back in 1980 and, although he eventually opted for early retirement, his problem was exacerbated by a repeat injury soon after his first comeback.

'Richard faces a long time, a lengthy spell, out of the game and will have all the support we can give him. It is very disappointing because we just put him on for the last three or four minutes to do a job and this happens,' Taylor added.

'One is tempted to say that is just how our season has gone but I am more concerned about the player because it is a serious injury and there is no cause to hide from that.

'However, Alan Shearer suffered the same injury and look at him. That is behind him now.'

Watford will not put a time on Johnson's recovery and a clearer indication will be ascertained after the operation. However, most players who have undergone this setback have been out for the best part of a year.

Johnson, who is set to be married early in the close season, is amazed that he played on after damaging his knee in the final minutes on Saturday. He did not immediately realise the degree of discomfort.

Taylor pointed out that Sky's Andy Gray 'called it right' when he talked about Johnson sustaining medial ligament damage as the player got up from his injury in the game against Manchester United.

'We knew Richard had injured his knee and so did Richard. He got up rather gingerly and then ran back and then reacted to that run,' said Taylor, who knows it may take two or three weeks before the swelling dissolves and the knee becomes operable. 'It came right up like a balloon after the game.

'We are giving Richard, who is obviously and understandably down at the moment, all the support we can. Obviously it is a career threatening injury in that some players have not come back from it, but there others who have returned.'

The most recent and serious ligament injury sustained by a Watford player was when Nigel Gibbs injured his medial ligaments and cartilage.

'Not content with that, I had a repeat injury,' said Gibbs, whose career was very much in doubt and at one stage they were preparing to read the last rites over it.

Gibbs came back. 'I know how Johnno is feeling but you do come back from these setbacks,' said the veteran defender.

WHILE Hyde is set to face a three-game ban as a result of his dismissal, he will not be fined by the club.

'I have seen it two or three times. I am admitting I saw it,' said Taylor, who is aware rival managers often claim not to have seen an incident.

'I have no doubt Butt was the instigator. I won't fine him. He did react and he acknowledges he has done so and he misses the first two games of next season in consequence.

'I assume that Micah was given a free kick which annoyed Butt. Micah should have walked away from it when Butt pushed him, but he took two paces back to push Butt. I won't be fining Micah, in the same way I did not fine Allan Smart for being sent off against Tranmere last season.

'Allan lost his place in that run-in because of that. Allan was wrong to retaliate, but what the referee did not see was that David Kelly gave him a right-uppercut, which is hard to walk away from.

'The irritating thing is that they will be affected next season. Johnson and Hyde missing from the start of next season - we don't need these type of things. On the disciplinary front, we have let ourselves down on the odd occasion.

'When you are sent off unnecessarily or cautioned in the same way, we all pay for it.

'I do defend players if I think they are defendable, but I do think that it is beholden on some of the bigger managers who have seen it all, should admit they saw it and could not defend it. That would be for the benefit of the game as a whole,

'As managers, we all fall into traps where we say things and see the video later on and realise we made the mistake. It has been a trying season. It rears its head more when you are bottom of the table than when you are near the top.'