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Tommy Smith bursts away from Ian Ashbee. Picture: Action Images

Watford will need to prove exactly why they had the best away record in the Championship this season at the KC Stadium on Wednesday if they are to get to the play-off final at Wembley after Hull City claimed a 2-0 first leg advantage at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

Goals from Nick Barmby and Dean Windass put the visitors in the ascendancy before the Hornets suffered another blow when John Eustace appeared to be the victim of a harsh red card.

But the margin of victory was tough on the Hornets, who produced one of their better home displays of the campaign but could find no way past keeper Boaz Myhill and his resolute defence.

Most of the signs in the build-up to the game were that Aidy Boothroyd would bring in Tamas Priskin to replace the suspended Darius Henderson, but the manager shelved that idea and instead opted to bring in Lionel Ainsworth, suggesting that a change in formation was on the cards.

Boothroyd's counterpart Phil Brown, meanwhile, made two changes to the side that went down 1-0 at Ipswich Town in the last game of the regular season, with Richard Garcia and Barmby replacing Dean Marney and Caleb Folan.

Watford started with a 4-3-3 formation, with Ainsworth and Jobi McAnuff providing the support to Nathan Ellington from out wide, and it was the home side that had the first sniff of an opening inside two minutes when Tommy Smith glanced a Mat Sadler corner from the right well wide.

Within 90 seconds McAnuff did very well to cut in between two opponents on the left and produce a blistering right-footed effort that was deflected over. From McAnuff's resultant corner, the Hornets thought they had taken the lead when Dan Shittu rose to power home a close-range header, but referee Kevin Friend adjudged that Leigh Bromby had impeded keeper Myhill.

More controversy followed soon after when Windass went in late on Richard Lee but the referee let the veteran striker off with a good talking to.

But after eight minutes Vicarage Road was plunged into silence. Following a Hornets throw on the left that was flicked on, the ball was played back towards the Watford area and a complete misunderstanding saw Shittu and Sadler both go up to challenge for the ball and only succeed in diverting the ball into the path of Fraizer Campbell, who cut in from the right side of the area and picked out the unmarked Barmby and he made no mistake from ten yards to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

However, that blow didn't seem to affect the Hornets too much, although they had to wait until the 15th minute for their next opening when Ellington was unable to turn a McAnuff cross from the left on target after good work by the Hornets' wide-man, Smith and Lee Williamson.

The Hull boss then complained vociferously when he thought his side should have been awarded a penalty after Garcia appeared to be shoved in the back in the area, before Ainsworth sent over a good cross from the right that Ellington was unable to get to.

But Watford were undone by Hull's thought and movement again after 22 minutes. Garcia played a delightful cross-field pass from left to right to Barmby, who fed the overlapping Andy Dawson. His cross was met by Campbell, whose header looked to be going in but was deflected onto the bar by Bromby, but Windass reacted sharply to head in the rebound and give the visitors a very healthy 2-0 lead.

The Hornets could have one back five minutes later when more good work by McAnuff created an opening for Elington, but he was closed down quickly by Dawson and his eventual effort was deflected behind.

But from possibly being 2-1 down Watford could have found themselves trailing 3-0 when a shocking error by Lloyd Doyley let in Campbell, who teed up Windass, but the striker could only harmlessly lift the ball into the arm's of Lee.

But McAnuff, who was Watford's brightest light in the first-half, brought the best out of Myhill after 36 minutes with a sweetly-struck rising right-footed drive that the keeper did very well to tip over. From Sadler's resultant corner, Smith really should have scored, but he appeared to lose the flight of the ball and glanced it wide of a near open target from barely three yards out.

The Hornets continued to have plenty of possession around the Hull box in the run-up to the break, but the build-up was very ponderous at times and lacking tempo.

Campbell rather stupidly got himself booked just before the interval for delaying a free-kick, before a well-struck Smith effort from the edge of the area forced Myhill to tip over.

Despite the scoreline - and in a marked contrast to recent home games when they have been trailing - Watford were applauded from the pitch as the faithful did their best to encourage the players, despite trailing 2-0.

The Hornets made a positive start to the second period and almost got one back three minutes in when Doyley's long throw was flicked on by Shittu and deflected onto the roof of the bar. From the resultant corner, Ellington got down at the near post to glance goalwards but Myhill made a smart save. But that was nothing compared to what was to follow moments later.

Some neat footwork by Shittu towards the left saw him create a crossing opportunity, but he pulled the ball back towards the edge of the area where Sadler met it perfectly with a left-footed volley that was heading inside Myhill's right-hand post until the keeper somehow got across full length to push it behind.

There were signs that temperatures were beginning to boil over and they did just short of the hour when Eustace went in to challenge the grounded Garcia, who proceeded to roll over clutching his ankle. The Watford skipper did get involved in a pushing match thereafter but there appeared to be no real justification for the red card the referee produced afterwards.

The Hornets also lost Shittu to injury during the stoppage in play and he was replaced by Jay DeMerit. Craig Fagan then came on to replace Barmby and Windass made way for Folan. In between times though, Smith forced another good stop out of Myhill after a McAnuff corner found him unmarked at the far post.

But Campbell spurned a great opportunity to put the tie out of reach after 72 minutes when he was put clear on goal, but Lee came off his line and blocked his shot. Boothroyd played his hand soon after, bringing on John-Joe O'Toole and Priskin for Doyley and Ainsworth, while Nathan Doyle came on for Garcia.

Priskin's impact was almost immediate, doing well to dispossess Sam Ricketts on the left before rifling in a shot that Myhill could only push back out into the area. Then a long Bromby free-kick came within inches of picking out the diving DeMerit at the far post, while at the other end Doyle shot straight at Lee.

But Doyle came within inches of putting the tie to bed after 81 minutes with a left-footed curling shot that beat the dive of the Watford keeper but rebounded out off his right-hand post.

The Hornets kept looking for a potentially priceless goal and they almost got it twice in the closing stages when, first, Brombt had a shot blocked, and then Priskin headed narrowly wide of Myhill's right-hand upright from a DeMerit cross.

But in injury-time, Lee was forced to make a fine save to keep out Campbell's curling effort after the on-loan striker had turned Bromby inside out.

To rate the performances of the players against Hull, click here

Watford: Lee; Doyley (O'Toole, 73), Bromby, Shittu (DeMerit, 59), Sadler; Smith, Eustace, Williamson; Ainsworth (Priskin, 73), Ellington, McAnuff. Not used: Mariappa and Poom.

Hull City: Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Dawson; Garcia (Doyle, 73), Hughes, Ashbee, Barmby (Fagan, 64); Windass (Folan, 68), Campbell. Not used: Walton and Duke.

Bookings: Campbell for dissent after 45 mins; Eustace sent off for violent conduct after 59 mins; Priskin for a foul on Campbell after 78 mins.

Attendance: 14,713.

Referee: Kevin Friend.

1:50pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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