It’s a sad indictment of just how Watford’s season has spun miserably downwards towards a mid-table finish that this performance was actually a fair bit better than some of the slim pickings that have been served up of late.

Let’s not get carried away: this wasn’t brilliant. But at least Watford went forward, created chances and showed a bit of spirit.

The game was won by a penalty that it was impossible to argue against, but the Hornets were rightly incensed not to get a spot kick of their own in the second half when Pedro’s shot appeared to strike a Hull arm.

It was, from a Watford point of view, better than the dreadful effort against Cardiff on Wednesday, the woeful home defeat against Huddersfield and the humiliation at Luton.

The first half was relatively even, but Watford posed most of the questions in the second half, even if it took until eight minutes from the end for home keeper Darlow to be truly extended when he excelled to tip over Sarr’s attempted lob.

That was the biggest failing: for all their time on the ball and going forward, too often the decisions in the final third or the effort at goal was not what it should have been.

It wasn’t a performance to get carried away by but it was more of a team display than of late. It offered a chink of light in what has been a dark few weeks.

There are two games to go, the play-offs are still – incredibly – still mathematically reachable but that’s not going to happen, so let’s hope the trip to Sunderland and the home game with Stoke can at least prove two more steps in the right direction.

There were three changes to the starting line-up. Choudhury missed out due to illness, while Hoedt and Davis dropped to the bench.

Kabasele came in for his first appearance since February 14, while Sema and Bacuna returned to the starting line-up.

The early stages were pretty tame as both sides struggled to get any pattern, the only chance in the first 20 minutes saw Pedro shoot over the top after Andrews had been tackled on the edge of the box.

Elder headed wide at the back post from a deep free kick before the home side were handed a chance to go ahead when Vaughan checked inside the box and had his legs swept from under him by the sliding Andrews.

Tufan stepped up and sent Bachmann the wrong way to score against his former side.

The Hornets had a great chance to level soon after when McLoughlin made a mess of a header back to his keeper and Pedro nipped in between the two, but then lifted his lob over the target.

On the half hour Sema battled well to get into the box on the left and his pass was pushed by Pedro into the path of Kone, who sent a disappointing shot way over the bar.

Five minutes before the break Louza’s clever footwork got him into the box and when he was challenged Pedro hit a snap-shot which Darlow got down to hold.

The chances had been there for Watford but only once did they manage to get an effort on target in the opening 45 minutes.

On the hour mark Pedro headed a Louza free kick over the top, and then there were heated and animated appeals from the visitors when a Pedro shot appeared to striker a Hull defender on the arm in the box.

However, Watford’s efforts to salvage something were pretty tame overall, and their best and most convincing chance came eight minutes from the end when a Davis flick released Sarr and he tried to place a delicate lob over the advancing Darlow, only for the Hull keeper to reach back and tip the effort over the bar.

The game ended with Hull having just one on-target goal attempt – the decisive penalty – while Watford’s 56% possession saw them have 10 goal attempts, but only really one that forced a difficult save.

Watford: Bachmann; Andrews, Porteous, Kabasele, Kamara, Sarr, Louza, Bacuna (Davis 53), Sema, Kone (Asprilla 73), Pedro. Subs: Hamer, Ngakia, Cathcart, Morris, Hoedt