Swansea 3 Watford 1.

Malky Mackay’s side occupy one of the relegation places after his reign as Watford manager got of to a losing start with a 3-1 defeat at Swansea.

The Scotsman became Hornets manager on Monday following Aidy Boothroyd’s departure but he was unable to halt Watford’s winless run which now stretches to five games.

Lee Williamson gave the visitors the lead in the first half, only for Ferrie Bodde to cancel it out with a long-ranged strike minutes later.

Jason Scotland and Guillem Bauza added their names to the scoresheet to keep Watford third from bottom.

It was the first of two games between these sides in three days as they meet in the Carling Cup, again at the Liberty Stadium, on Tuesday night.

Mackay made three changes to the side that played Blackpool and two of them were involved from the start.

First Leigh Bromby, who was in for Lloyd Doyley at right back, was cheaply dispossessed and needed his captain Jay DeMerit to make a well-timed challenge in the box to prevent Mark Gower from shooting.

And Watford’s first chance came through Jobi McAnuff, who was in for the suspended Jon Harley, but the left midfielder dragged his long-ranged shot comfortably wide.

Lee Williamson was Watford’s other change and he and John-Joe O’Toole found it hard to stop Swansea’s midfield from breaking early on.

Gower was causing problems for Bromby throughout the game and had a curling shot deflected wide before the midfielder scuffed wide from close range from the resulting corner.

Richard Lee, who has looked shaky in recent games, then produced a good stop to deny Jason Scotland after a break from Darren Pratley.

But Watford showed they weren’t here to just sit back and Tommy Smith showed great skill to lose his defender on the edge of the box and slip in Will Hoskins, but the defender covered just in time.

Jordi Gomez, who is on loan from Espanyol, was constantly delivering dangerous set pieces but it was Watford who had the ball in the net first.

O’Toole volleyed in after a flick on from Darren Ward, but Bromby was unbelievably penalised for a foul throw.

Pratley was looking dangerous breaking from midfield and DeMerit had to make crucial challenges and clearance headers on more than one occasion.

But Watford were still pushing forward and Swansea’s on loan ‘keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos needed to react quickly and tip a Smith cross away from the top corner.

Watford had another chance to score when Smith was brought down 25-yards out.

Williamson’s free kick was blocked but the midfielder did score when O’Toole showed great strength to win the ball back. The Irishman fed the ball to Williamson, who played a one-two with Hoskins, who slipped Williamson in after a neat turn on the edge of the box, and the returning midfielder slotted past the Swansea ‘keeper into the bottom corner.

But just as Watford fans thought the new era might bring a new sense of stability, the lead was lost minutes later.

Like O’Toole, there has been reports that a few Premiership sides are looking at Swansea’s Ferrie Bodde and the Dutch midfielder showed why when he fired in from what must have been at least 30 yards out.

The 26-year-old’s shot seemed to deceive Lee in the air and the ‘keeper may think he should have done better.

Watford continued to push though and had two chances to score before the break.

First O’Toole found himself free as Williamson whipped in another corner but he couldn’t quite get on the end of it and Darren Ward tried an optimistic half-volley from outside the box after a knock-down from Grzegorz Rasiak, but the sides went in level at half-time.

The second period started with Watford showing that they still haven’t eradicated their ability to throw up some comical defending.

McAnuff and Ward got in a tangle and again needed DeMerit to make a goal-saving challenge but it still wasn’t over and they needed numerous chances to clear it.

It was very stop-start to begin with as referee Rob Shoebridge penalised every small infringement.

One incident the referee didn’t blow up for was a possible penalty, when the ball bounced up and hit Smith’s hand.

Both sides then had chances to take the lead. Hoskins maybe should have been more selfish when Bromby’s long ball was mistimed by Federico Bessone, however the Watford forward tried to cross for Rasiak and it was deflected wide.

And it was a long ball from Bodde that put his side in front. His diagonal ball picked out Scotland who had lost the near-faultless DeMerit and the striker lobbed the on-rushing Lee to make it 2-1.

Neither side created much after the goal but it was the Welsh side who came closest.

Substitute Gorka Pintado volleyed over from a lovely through ball by Gomez and Angel Rangel burst forward from right back to put wide after Mat Sadler was caught out of position.

Gomez continued to look lively and it was his quick-feet which tricked Eustace into a clumsy challenge and a one-match suspension after his fifth yellow card of the season.

The skillful midfielder also came closest to extending his side’s lead with a 25-yard free kick but it just went wide.

Just as it seemed to game was dead and buried Swansea made it worse for Mackay when Guillem Bauza slotted past Lee with one of the last kicks of the game.

Swansea City: Konstantopoulos; Rangel, Williams, Monk, Bessone; Bodde, Britton, Pratley (Bauza); Gomez, Gower (Pintado), Scotland (Brandy). Not used: Krysiak, Tate.

Watford: Lee; Bromby (Robinson), DeMerit, Ward, Sadler; Smith, Williamson, O’Toole, McAnuff; Rasiak, Hoskins (Eustace). Not used: Tyler, Mariappa.

Bookings: O’Toole (61, challenge from behind), Smith (43, foul on Gomez), Britton (32, foul on Smith), Williamson (68, foul on Bodde), Gomez (72, foul on Eustace), Eustace (80, foul on Gomez).

Attendance: 13, 891. Away: 601.

Referee: Rob Shoebridge.