Watford are top of the Championship with two games to go after beating Birmingham City 1-0 while Bournemouth were pegged back at the death by Sheffield Wednesday on another dramatic Championship afternoon.

Following Middlesbrough’s win at Norwich City last night, the Hornets knew they would be back in the top two if they could make it four wins in succession for the first time this season. A superb volleyed finish from Craig Cathcart 11 minutes into the second half put the hosts in the ascendency and with the Cherries winning and then drawing at home to Sheffield Wednesday the Hornets were set to take over at the top.

However, Matt Ritchie’s goal six minutes from time on the south coast moved Eddie Howe’s men back to top spot, but after the final whistle blew at Vicarage Road there was cause for further celebration when Wednesday netted a penalty deep into injury time.

But irrespective of being top or second in the table, the Hornets know their Premier League promotion fate is firmly back in their own hands ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Slavisa Jokanovic made three four from the side which started Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory at Nottingham Forest and switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

With Matthew Connolly ruled out through injury, Juan Carlos Paredes and Tommie Hoban came back into the side in the full-back roles, Miguel Layun started in midfield and Vydra was preferred up front. Marco Motta, Ikechi Anya and Odion Ighalo dropped down to the bench that also featured the fit-again Fernando Forestieri.

Birmingham drew 2-2 against Blackburn Rovers last time out and Gary Rowett made just the one enforced alteration, with Andrew Shinnie replacing Hornets loanee Diego Fabbrini, who was ineligible to feature against his parent club. Watford favourite Paul Robinson had to settle for a place on the bench but another Vicarage Road old boy, Rob Kiernan, was in the starting XI.

Backed by a wonderful atmosphere inside Vicarage Road, the home side started positively, winning a corner inside the opening two minutes after a Vydra shot was deflected behind. The set piece was played short and back to Ben Watson, but Blues goalkeeper Randolph claimed his looping cross comfortably.

Watford continued to look good in possession in the opening stages, moving the ball around confidently and with intent, but it was the visitors who nearly had the next opening of note in the 11th minute when a good covering challenge from Paredes prevented Shinnie from having a clear opening ten yards from Heurelho Gomes’ goal.

After that though, the match – and the Hornets – lost some of their early impetus but that almost changed in the 19th minute when the hosts were a matter of inches away from taking the lead.

Adlene Guedioura started it with a delightful lofted pass that put Deeney in behind the Blues defence coming in from the left. He chested the ball down to put him through one-on-one with Randolph, only to be denied by a fine save from the keeper with his legs. However, the ball broke for Vydra, who struck a shot into the ground and it clipped a defender’s leg en route to crashing back off the crossbar.

Vydra had another opportunity moments later when he was put through on the left side of the area by a Watson pass but he dragged his left-footed finish across goal and wide of the far post.

Guedioura then had a shot blocked as the hosts continued to look to turn their pressure into the opening goal and the on-loan Crystal Palace midfielder had another opportunity in the 27th minute with a low 20-yard drive which Randolph had to get down to hold.

Three minutes later the home side went even closer when, after a precise build-up, the ball was played into Abdi, who spun superbly away from his man and onto his left foot before curling a shot narrowly wide of the far post.

Watford Observer:

Randolph then had to move sharply off his line to prevent Deeney making more of a contact on another slide-rule pass from Guedioura that opened up the Blues rearguard.

Despite looking good going forward, there had again been the occasional nervous moment in the Watford defence when a lack of communication between Gabriele Angella and Gomes could have caused bigger problems than what transpired.

The Watford goalkeeper was not unduly troubled by Birmingham’s first shot of the match, a tamely struck 20-yard effort from Clayton Donaldson in the 36th minute, before Deeney tried his luck again with a dinked shot from outside the area that Randolph plucked out of the air at the far post.

The Hornets skipper had another shot deflected behind before a Demari Gray effort suffered the same fate as Vicarage Road once again rose as one in the 44th minute for another rousing minute’s applause for Nic Cruwys as the opening period ended goalless.

Watford Observer:

Birmingham made a change at the start of the second half as David Davis replaced Robert Tesche, but it was the home side who continued to dominate possession in the opening exchanges.

But it was the Blues who had the first opening when Donaldson got goal-side of Angella to latch onto a long Paul Caddis pass forward, but Gomes stood strong at his near post to block the shot from the right side of the penalty area.

Jokanovic decided things needed changing in the 54th minute, bringing on both Anya and Ighalo for Layun and Vydra. It reaped almost instant awards in quite stunning style.

After the Blues had failed to properly clear their lines from a corner, Deeney shifted the ball to his left from outside the area to release Anya. He played a first-time cross into the near post where Cathcart met it with a superb volleyed flick over his shoulder to send the ball into the top corner and make it 1-0.

After Jonathan Grounds had been booked for high boot on Deeney and Wes Thomas had replaced Shinnie, the Hornets spurned a glorious chance to double their lead when an Abdi free-kick from the right into the near post picked out the unmarked Angella, but he headed over.

Anya sent another effort wide before Cathcart was booked for pulling back Gray, but the Hornets were now turning the screw and they went close to scoring again in the 64th minute when Angella got up to head an Abdi corner from the left down towards goal only to see it cleared off the line by Kiernan.

Deeney rattled the woodwork in the 68th minute with a rasping shot after being played in by Guedioura but the flag was already up for offside before Lee Novak replaced Gray three minutes later.

The home side continued to look comfortable in the main and they had a very good shout for a penalty in the 81st minute when Anya looked to be fouled by Caddis in the area. However, referee Mark Haywood deemed the offence to have happened just outside the 18-yard box and Watson’s set piece was punched away by Randolph.

After Jonathan Grounds had headed a free-kick for the visitors well wide, Daniel Tozser came on for the last minutes of normal time in place of Abdi.

Birmingham continued to make a reasonable fist of trying to get back on terms without creating anything clear-cut but the Hornets saw out the closing stages to record a fourth win in succession for the first time under the Pozzos and move back into the top two. But their position was to get even better after the game was over.

Watford Observer:

Watford: Gomes; Paredes, Angella, Cathcart, Hoban; Guedioura, Watson, Layun (Anya 54); Abdi (Tozser 85); Vydra (Ighalo 54), Deeney. Not used: Bond, Munari, Forestieri, Motta.

Birmingham City: Randolph; Caddis, Morrison, Kiernan, Grounds; Cotterill, Gleeson, Tesche (Davis 46), Gray (Novak 71); Shinnie (Thomas 58), Donaldson. Not used: Doyle, Robinson, Spector, Arthur.

Bookings: Grounds for a foul on Deeney (57); Cathcart for a foul on Gray (61).

Referee: Mark Haywood.