Early John Eustace goal gives Watford points against Barnsley

The Hornets got off to the perfect start when captain John Eustace scored his sixth of the campaign with barely 40 seconds on the clock.

Eustace and Troy Deeney had further opportunities in the early stages to put clear daylight between the two sides but then the hosts went off the boil for most of the first period, although Marvin Sordell missed a great chance to make it 2-0 just before the break.

Barnsley had the bulk of the attacking play after the interval but they were unable to find a way past the Watford rearguard, who secured a first clean sheet in six outings to earn three points for the first time in the same number of games.

The victory leaves the hosts five points off sixth spot with three games remaining, starting with Monday’s trip to Leicester City.

The Hornets made just the one change from the side that came so close to victory at Leeds United last Saturday, with Piero Mingoia making his first league start in place of the injured Ross Jenkins.

Watford were immediately on the front foot, winning their first corner after 20 seconds and just 20 or so seconds later they had taken the lead.

Following a short corner routine on the left, Mingoia worked the ball back to Don Cowie, whose right-footed cross was superbly met by Deeney. His header from ten yards appeared to be touched onto the bar by Luke Steele but the Tykes keeper was helpless to prevent Eustace applying a formality finish from very close range to make it 1-0.

Having got off to a flyer, the hosts could have been firmly in the driving seat by the fifth minute when, remarkably, they had already won five corners.

The fourth of these saw Eustace go very close with a back-post header that Steele tipped away, while from the next set piece Deeney powered in another goal-bound header that was deflected down and wide of the keeper’s left-hand upright.

Barnsley gradually gained a foothold in the game though, winning their first corner in the tenth minute and from it Matt Hill’s goal-bound header was nodded over his own bar by Deeney.

Scott Loach was then called into serious action for the first time to hold Jacob Butterfield’s half-volley from the edge of the area after Eustace had failed to get sufficient distance on a clearance.

The combined corner count had risen to nine by the 17th minute after Lee Hodson had been forced into some last-ditch defending when Andy Gray got the better of Martin Taylor and was about to pull the trigger from close range.

Watford were struggling to get going offensively at this stage, although they did enjoy some more solid periods of possession around the mid-way point of the opening half.

The Tykes had levelled the corner count at 5-5 by the 27th minute but there continued to be little for the home faithful to get excited about until the hosts won their next corner ten minutes later.

From Cowie’s deep delivery from the left, Taylor headed back into the danger zone from beyond the far post and Deeney acrobatically volleyed a right-footed effort narrowly wide of Steele’s left-hand post.

Barnsley had the next attempt when Gray was rather worryingly allowed to get in between defenders to meet Jason Shackell’s deep ball in from the left, although the striker’s tame header lacked the power to trouble Loach.

However, it was their opponents who really should have doubled their lead a minute before the break.

Danny Graham did superbly on the right to not only attack the Tykes backline but also show the awareness to wait for Sordell to get up in support on the left side of the area. With impeccable timing, the Hornets' top scorer then clipped a right-footed delivery towards the back post, but the young forward couldn’t keep his header down and his effort looped onto the roof of the net.

Mark Robins decided to make a change at the interval, bringing on Reuben Noble-Lazarus for Marlon Harewood, but history almost repeated itself in the first 40 seconds of the second period.

Graham again did well to get away down the right and his cut back looked destined for Sordell, who was attacking the near post, but the ball was just nicked away from him.

Danny Haynes had a right-footed effort deflected behind before Malky Mackay also decided to make a change, bringing on Andi Weimann for Sordell. And the Aston Villa loanee arrived on the pitch in time to see Lloyd Doyley cut in from the left before hitting a right-footed effort the wrong side of Steele’s near post.

Jacob Mellis picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Graham and that was to be the on-loan midfielder’s last involvement as he was immediately replaced by Bobby Hassell.

The substitute’s first act was to trip Weimann tight to the by-line, resulting in Mingoia clipping a fine free-kick into the danger area where Deeney wasn’t able to get a heavy enough touch to really trouble Steele.

However, his opposite number was tested just after the hour mark when he had to dive to his right to superbly tip away a Haynes downward header from a Hill cross from the left.

Loach also had to deal with a more routine header from Kieran Trippier before the keeper again had to go to ground after Noble-Lazarus connected superbly with a right-footed effort from distance.

The Barnsley replacement again chanced his arm with a less accurate long-range effort before Loach was again called into action to dive smartly at the feet of Haynes after the ball almost broke for the striker at the far post.

The Watford keeper was impressing, although he very nearly blotted his copybook in the 71st minute by dropping a deep Hassell cross over his own line, but managed to held on under pressure from Haynes.

The Tykes continued to call the shots though, with Haynes seeing another well-struck effort blocked behind before Mingoia made way for Danny Drinkwater with 15 minutes remaining.

The hosts could have made the game safe five minutes later when Graham laid the ball back for Deeney, who was initially let down by his control but then found Weimann to his left and the substitute opted for a percentage ball cross-cum-shot that wasn’t too far wide of the far post.

Jordan Clark then came on for Gray as Robins played his final card but it then took more excellent defending by a combination of Hodson and Adrian Mariappa to prevent Noble-Lazarus having another effort, only for Graham to break downfield and find Drinkwater, who did well before testing Steele with a low left-footed shot.

Loach and Eustace both earned late yellow cards, for time wasting and a foul respectively, after Noble-Lazarus had again demonstrated his ability from long-range. But the Hornets held on and indeed might have had a second when, after springing a counter-attack, Drinkwater had another well-struck effort blocked.

Watford: Loach; Hodson, Mariappa, Taylor, Doyley; Eustace; Deeney, Mingoia (Drinkwater 75), Cowie, Sordell (Weimann 53); Graham. Not used: Buckley, Gilmartin, Bennett, Massey and Thompson.

Barnsley: Steele; Trippier, Foster, Shackell, Hill; Doyle; Mellis (Hassell 57), Butterfield; Harewood (Noble-Lazarus 46), Gray (Clark 82), Haynes. Not used: McEveley, O’Brien, Preece and Arismendi.

Bookings: Mellis for a foul on Graham after 56 mins; Loach for time wasting after 90 mins; Eustace for a foul on 90 mins.

Attendance: 14,098.

Referee: Danny McDermid.