Watford will be crossing swords with a familiar face next season after Sean Dyche’s Burnley clinched promotion back to the Premier League.

A 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers was enough to earn the Clarets an immediate return to the top flight with one game to play. Although they only have a two-point cushion over third-placed Brighton and Hove Albion, Dyche’s troops cannot be denied a top-two finish as the Seagulls travel to second-placed Middlesbrough on the final day of the season on Saturday.

Dyche’s side have lost just five games in the second tier this season and this afternoon’s victory stretched their unbeaten run to 22 league games.

A former Hornets player, coach and assistant manager, Dyche took over at Vicarage Road in June 2011 after Malky Mackay left for Cardiff City. The Hornets were around the drop zone for much of the first half of the 2011/12 season but improved as the campaign went on and ultimately finished 11th after losing only one of their final 13 matches.

That wasn’t enough to keep the 44-year-old at Vicarage Road following the Pozzo takeover, but he was to take over at Turf Moor in October 2012 and guided the Clarets to promotion the following season.

Among Dyche’s current players is Lloyd Dyer, who has now been promoted to the Premier League for a third successive season after achieving it with Watford last year and Leicester City in 2014.