Three games without win for Aidy Boothroyd's men

Alan Irvine’s men gained quick revenge for their 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road earlier this month thanks to goals from Billy Jones and Ross Wallace.

Although the outcome might have been different had an early John-Joe O’Toole header not come off the bar or the visitors taken one of several other opportunities during a decent first-half display, the Hornets were undone by yet another defensive lapse and a shot that appeared to go through Richard Lee.

Aidy Boothroyd made two changes from the side that lost 3-2 to Wolves on Saturday, with Darren Ward returning following his enforced absence and Jay DeMerit fit after his injury lay-off, replacing Adrian Mariappa, who was on the bench, and the dropped Leigh Bromby.

It was the home side that started the better, but Watford, thankfully, got through the opening five minutes without any scares and, indeed, forced the first corner of the game a minute later which led to the first chance.

Tommy Smith’s set-piece from the right was flicked on by DeMerit and Ward targeted a firm header downwards, but Andy Lonergan held on to the ball with O’Toole ready to pounce.

Will Hoskins followed that up with an angled cross-cum-shot from wide on the left which Lonergan carried over the line for another corner, but almost immediately Stephen Elliott launched a surging break downfield before crossing for Jay McEveley, who only succeeded in heading the ball back in the direction it came from.

Preston went closer still to making the breakthrough in the 17th minute from their first corner. Wallace’s useful inswinging set-piece from the left almost fell invitingly for Jon Parkin at the near post, but Lee was alert to the danger and scooped the ball up before the big striker could make contact.

Three minutes later though, O’Toole was prevented from continuing his remarkable scoring streak by the woodwork. Again a corner was the source, and this time Smith’s ball from the right flashed across the area before Mat Sadler hooked it back into the heart of the area for the Irishman to beat Lonergan with a header, but not the bar. Still the Hornets could have scored from the rebound, but John Eustace’s follow-up was cleared from near the line by Wayne Brown.

The Hornets tried to up the ante from the point, with a teasing Smith cross almost picking out Grzegorz Rasiak, before Eustace chanced his arm with a dipping attempt from 25 yards that wasn’t too far wide.

Watford’s next opportunity came in the 34th minute when Ward’s downward header found Rasiak, who in turn fed Hoskins to his right. The former Rotherham striker cut inside, but his attempted left-footed curling shot was always going the wrong side of Lonergan’s right-hand post.

The Hornets asked more attacking questions from a couple of corners just before the 40-minute mark, but from the second Elliott counter-attacked at pace and with players getting up in support either side of him he chose to go it alone, but dragged a right-footed shot wide of Lee’s right-hand upright.

But dealt relatively well with the home side’s limited attacking threat, Watford were undone two minutes before the interval.

Wallace, having switched flanks, was allowed to cut in towards the edge of the area from the right before striking a deep cross beyond the far post for the unmarked Barry Nicholson to cut the ball back, Lee could only it up to in the air with his outstretched right arm and Jones really couldn’t miss the opportunity to make it 1-0.

The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges in the second half, but they were unable to create some good periods of possession into an opportunity until the 58th minute when Smith nutmegged McEveley and found Hoskins, whose angled drive was partially charged down, but O’Toole was unable to get on the end of it before Lonergan.

Paul McKenna had Preston’s first attempt of the half soon after, but his 25-yard effort was always swerving away from the target.

On 61 minutes though, Youl Mawene had a better chance to double the home side’s advantage when Nicholson’s corner from the right found him unmarked in the area, but the centre-half directed his effort well wide of the target.

Still the chances kept coming for Preston, with McEveley embarking on a surging run forward before striking a rising left-footed effort over from the edge of the area, but in the 66th minutes the Hornets had what looked a reasonable appeal for a penalty turned down.

A Jon Harley free-kick from the left was headed back towards the near post by Rasiak and several Watford players appealed for handball as Brown prevented O’Toole from getting a shot away.

Within moments though, the Hornets had something of a break when Wallace cut in off the right and unleashed a left-footed shot which cannoned away off Lee’s near post.

It was to prove only a temporary reprieve though, for on 68 minutes Wallace let fly with the same boot from a central position. Lee appeared to have the low shot covered, but the ball squirmed through his gloves and the visitors found themselves two down.

Boothroyd’s response was to bring on Jobi McAnuff for Harley, but four minutes later the visitors could have halved the deficit when Smith’s cross from the right picked out Eustace in the area, but he headed straight at Lonergan.

The Hornets boss played his final hand with ten minutes remaining, bringing on Lee Williamson and Lionel Ainsworth for Eustace and Lloyd Doyley respectively, and within moments of entering the fray Ainsworth was fizzing a great ball across the six-yard box but neither Rasiak nor Hoskins were able to get on the end of it.

Simon Whaley and Neil Mellor then came on for Wallace and Elliott, but the visitors were unable to mount a late rally, leaving them to contemplate a third game without victory.

Preston North End: Lonergan; St Ledger, Mawene, Brown, McEveley; Nicholson, McKenna, Jones, Wallace (Whaley, 85); Parkin, Elliott (Mellor, 85). Not used: Jarrett, Sedgwick and Neal.

Watford: Lee; Doyley (Ainsworth, 80), DeMerit, Ward, Sadler; Smith, Eustace (Williamson, 80), O’Toole, Harley (McAnuff, 71); Hoskins, Rasiak. Not used: Mariappa and Tyler.

Bookings: None.

Attendance: 11,234.

Referee: Michael Oliver.