It was a game that Slaven Bilic had conceded was a ‘must-win’ in Watford’s quest to secure a play-off place. What he oversaw was a performance that got the chorus of boos it deserved at full-time as the Hornets were held to a drab 0-0 stalemate by Preston North End.

The Hornets started okay but the first half increasingly degenerated into a disjointed mess. Once again the home side didn’t help their cause with a lack of tempo or urgency and some basic errors in possession, but they also often looked to be lacking ideas or any sense of direction.

The introduction of Keinan Davis and Yaser Asprilla at the start of the second period did help bring about an improvement in the Hornets’ attacking play – albeit from a low base – but they still struggled to create anything clear-cut or dominate for prolonged periods as the sloppiness on the ball and with their decision making continued.

Joao Pedro and Davis forced Freddie Woodman into saves, while Ismaila Sarr went close with a shot on the turn from the edge of the area, but much of their attacking continued to lacked real conviction and belief as too many wearing yellow were well short of the standards expected of a team looking to remain in with a chance of securing promotion.

Both Ryan Porteous and Wesley Hoedt left the pitch shaking their heads – it about summed up an awful display and game.

Slaven Bilic made two changes from the side that went down to a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United. Craig Cathcart returned to the starting XI at right-back in place of Mario Gaspar, while Henrique Araujo was preferred to Davis in attack.

Preston were held to a goalless draw by Coventry City on Tuesday night and boss Ryan Lowe made three changes to his side. In came Greg Cunningham, Ben Whiteman and Troy Parrott, Ryan Ledson and Tom Cannon dropped to the bench, while Liam Lindsay was not involved.

After a low-key start to the contest, the Hornets had the first opportunity in the eighth minute when Araujo fed the ball back out to Cathcart and his clipped cross was headed down by Joao Pedro, but Woodman dropped to his left to save.

The hosts should have created another opening three minutes later when Pedro did well to skip away from at least two opponents before finding James Morris on the left side of the penalty area, but the move broke down when the left-back chose to pass back infield when a shot may have been a better option.

Daniel Bachmann had to make his first save of the afternoon soon after when he was behind a 20-yard drive from Ched Evans, but it was Watford who continued to make more of the running.

Their next opening arrived in the 17th minute when Cathcart clipped a pass forward, Araujo won enough of a header to allow Pedro to pick up possession and slide in Ismaila Sarr down the right side of the 18-yard box but his low centre was just behind the Portuguese striker and Woodman was able to gather.

Bachmann was tested again by a long-distance effort, this time from Alvaro Fernandez who came inside off the left to hit a right-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. The left wing-back was to chance his arm again soon after, this time firing wide of Bachmann’s right-hand post after latching onto a poor pass from Imran Louza.

The Hornets were struggling to find any fluency to their play during the middle part of the first half – and not helping their cause either by often playing themselves into trouble – and there were few signs of it improving as the latter stages of the first half approached.

However, the Hornets did start to inject some variety into their play as Sarr, Pedro and Ken Sema interchanged positions for a spell, although a foul by Porteous 20 yards out from his own goal did cause some concern for the hosts, but Alan Browne was unable to keep his free-kick down.

Watford might have been able to create something as the first half ticked into one minute of time added on when Sarr intercepted Fernandez’s attempted pass and drove into the area, but he only succeeded in pulling the ball back to Jordan Storey as a disjointed and poor first-half display by the Hornets came to a goalless conclusion.

There was no great surprise that Bilic chose to make changes at the start of the second half. Davis came on for Araujo, who had got little change out of Bambo Diaby but also had been feeding off scraps, while Asprilla replaced Morris.

Evans received the first yellow card of the contest two minutes after the restart when referee Gavin Ward deemed he had dived in trying to win a free-kick following a challenge from Hoedt.

He was soon joined in the book by Diaby, who made a late challenge on Bachmann as the Hornets keeper sought to hold on to a free-kick that had been allowed to bisect the area after being taken from the left.

Watford’s first chance after the restart came when a Louza corner from the left was met by Porteous in the near post area but his glancing effort went across the six-yard box.

The hosts finally started to build up a head of attacking steam thereafter; Pedro forcing Woodman into a sharp save at his near post after Davis and Asprilla had featured prominently in an attack.

However, the hosts were almost caught out when another attack broke down and Whiteman’s slide rule pass put Parrott briefly in behind the defence, but Porteous timed his challenge just right to avert the danger.

Back came the home side, with Asprilla unable to grow tall enough to head a Cathcart cross on target, but it was the Colombian youngster who created a much better chance in the 66th minute, sliding the ball through to Davis but he was unable to beat Woodman on the angle.

The visitors made their first change two minutes later, with Cannon coming on for Parrott, but soon after a Sema cross picked out Sarr on the edge of the area, he chested the ball down and spun before cracking a right-footed half-volley narrowly wide of the far post.

Cathcart was replaced by Gaspar with 71 minutes gone as the Hornets continued to try and find the breakthrough, Hoedt the next to have a go with a shot from distance which didn’t unduly trouble Woodman.

Preston then enjoyed a rare spell of possession and territory in the Hornets half, but after navigating two corners the home side had their next sight of an opening when Asprilla drove forward, finding Davis who laid the ball back to Pedro, but he shot well over.

Both sides made changes with three minutes of normal time remaining; Ledson coming on for Evans, while Sarr made way for Britt Assombalonga.

Six minutes of additional time afforded late hope that a goal might be forthcoming and the Hornets weren’t too far away in the fourth of those minutes when Pedro headed wide from a Louza corner.

It was all the Hornets were able to create in stoppage time though, as the first half was greeted with a chorus of boos.

Watford: Bachmann; Cathcart (Gaspar 71), Porteous, Hoedt, Morris (Asprilla 46); Louza, Choudhury; Sarr (Assombalonga 87), Pedro, Sema; Araujo (Davis 46). Subs not used: Hamer, Kone, Kabasele.

Preston North End: Woodman, Storey, Diaby, Cunningham; Potts, Browne, Whiteman, Fernandez; Johnson (Woodburn 76); Evans (Ledson 87), Parrott (Cannon 68). Subs not used: Cornell, Bauer, Delap, Brady.

Bookings: Evans for simulation (47); Diaby for a foul on Bachmann (51); Potts for time wasting (86); Woodman for time wasting (89).

Referee: Gavin Ward.