Watford old boy Tommy Smith seals Queens Park Rangers success

The hosts had plenty of possession but struggled to create anything of note against the hosts. The closest they came was when newly-crowned Player of the Season and top scorer Danny Graham headed a fine chance wide when the game was still goalless in the first half.

Malky Mackay made two changes from the side that was beaten 4-2 at Leicester City on Monday.

Marvin Sordell, unsurprisingly after scoring twice, was promoted from the bench in place of the injured Andi Weimann, while Will Buckley made his first start in five matches at the expense of Piero Mingoia.

The young midfielder was on a young bench that included Matty Whichelow, back from injury sooner than originally expected, talented wide man Sean Murray and, for the first time, another Academy product in Britt Assombalonga.

The visitors were straight out of the blocks and had the first opening after just 17 seconds when Taarabt swung over a great ball with his right foot and Heidar Helguson got in round the back, but hit the side netting.

The former Hornets frontman then forced Scott Loach into a smart save, using his trademark leap to hang in the air and head a high cross from Matt Connolly firmly towards the target.

Watford, wearing their new home kit, had their first sight of goal when Troy Deeney turned in a central position and let fly from 20 yards, but the ball was always drifting wide of the far post of Radek Cerny, who was a late replacement between the posts for the injured Paddy Kenny.

The Hornets had another opening in the 13th minute when a fine pass from Martin Taylor and a lapse from Orr let the marauding Lloyd Doyley in down the left and, after advancing into the area, he curled the ball across goal and wide of the far post as he sought to repeat his scoring feat from the same fixture last season.

The exchanges continued to offer promise, with Taylor looping a header through to Cerny following a long Doyley throw. But this was followed by a heart-stopping moment from Loach, who let what should have been a routine free-kick from Taarabt squirm from his grasp, but Taylor was the quickest to react and conceded a corner.

The hosts survived another let off in the 21st minute when Smith found Taarabt on the left and he toyed with Lee Hodson before laying the ball across to Alejandro Faurlin, only for the man at the centre of the FA commissioned inquiry’s third party ownership investigation to put a clear opening over the top from eight yards.

The number of Watford old boys on the pitch for the visitors increased to three two minutes later when Dan Shittu replaced the injured Fitz Hall, but it was the hosts who went very close to taking the lead in the 27th minute.

Sordell did very well to win a battle with Kaspars Gorkss and get away from the centre-half before crossing towards the near post where Graham looked poised to head home his 28th of the season, only to put a great chance the wrong side of Cerny’s near post.

John Eustace had a shot from the edge of the area deflected through to Cerny before Sordell did get the ball in the net following a mistake by Shittu, but referee’s assistant Sian Massey’s flag was already raised for offside.

The outcome was the same soon after when Orr tapped in Taarabt’s cross, but this time it was Paul Kelly’s flag which was raised.

The match continued to simmer as half-time approached, with Buckley slashing a left-footed effort high and wide after a neat one-two with Sordell, and two minutes before the break Taylor headed a corner down and goal-bound but Cerny was again equal to it.

Deeney briefly looked as if he was about to get the second half off to the best possible start for the Hornets when he received a Don Cowie pass in a central position, but a partial block took most of the pace off the former Walsall man’s shot and Cerny was comfortably able to save.

Loach was extended much more in the 50th minute by a curling Faurlin effort from the edge of the box that needed tipping over and then Wayne Routledge fired across the face of goal and wide after Buckley had given the ball away.

The Hornets suffered a blow in the 55th minute when injury ended Taylor’s afternoon and he was replaced by Dale Bennett, but three minutes later they almost took the lead.

Cowie rather mis-hit a corner from the right but Buckley was able to flick it on at the near post and Deeney prodded an effort goalwards, only to see it cleared from inside the six-yard box.

The game then went through a scrappy phase but it was the Hornets who continued to have the better of the exchanges, although they then lost Sordell to injury and he was replaced by Whichelow with 17 minutes remaining.

Akos Buzsaky then came on for Routledge and he arrived in time for Rangers to make the breakthrough, largely against the run of play in the second half.

Smith was the creator with a low cross towards the near post from the left and Taarabt capitalised on some poor defending and stole into space to side-foot across and past Loach to make it 1-0.

Almost predictably, given it was known there would be Rangers fans in the Watford areas of the ground, some flashpoints followed. Punches were clearly thrown in the Rookery while another visiting supporter was allowed to run from the Lower Rous and around Loach before he was apprehended.

Amidst all the off the pitch scenes, there was a big moment for Murray, who came on for his debut in place of Buckley. But it was Rangers who went closest to scoring the next goal when Buzsaky checked back in on his left foot and curled a shot wide from 20 yards.

Taarabt then tested Loach from a 25-yard free-kick as the police were moving into position around the Rangers fans, but the Hornets were given hope they could still get something out of the game when the fourth official signalled there would be five minutes extra.

However, it was the visitors who almost made the game safe when they broke and Taarabt set up Helguson to his left, only for the Icelandic striker to lift the ball over Loach and bar.

But Smith duly did make it 2-0 from the Hoops’ next attack, although Doyley wasn’t too far away from reducing the deficit soon after with a right-footed curling effort as the curtain came down on Watford’s home campaign.

Watford: Loach; Hodson, Mariappa, Taylor (Bennett 55), Doyley; Eustace, Buckley (Murray 77), Cowie, Deeney; Graham, Sordell (Whichelow 73). Not used: Gilmartin, Mingoia, Drinkwater and Assombalonga.

Queens Park Rangers: Cerny; Orr, Hall (Shittu 23), Gorkss, Connolly; Derry, Faurlin; Routledge (Buzsaky 75), Taarabt, Smith; Helguson. Not used: Agyemang, Hulse, Ramage, Vaagen Moen and Ephraim.

Bookings: None.

Attendance: 15,538.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick.