WATFORD have lifted themselves off the Premiership basement for the first time in three months this afternoon (Saturday), but it should have been achieved with a fourth win, and not an 11th draw, of the campaign after fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic pegged them back to a 2-2 score at Vicarage Road.

First-half goals from Hameur Bouazza and Damien Francis capped an excellent opening 45 minutes for the Hornets, who utilised a new-look formation to excellent effect with plenty of attractive attacking endeavour.

Charlton, not surprisingly, responded after the break but Watford were still two goals to the good when Aidy Boothroyd opted to remove the excellent Francis and revert to a 4-4-2 formation. Within minutes, Luke Young had handed the visitors a lifeline, but the home side still looked like they would hold on for the win until Darren Ambrose headed the visitors level two minutes from time.

The Watford boss made three changes to the team that were beaten by Everton last time out, and opted to switch to a five-man midfield. Dan Shittu replaced Malky Mackay in defence, while Gareth Williams, making his first Hornets start, and Tamas Priskin came in for Darius Henderson and Steve Kabba, with the Hungarian playing a lone striking role.

Alan Pardew would probably have liked to have kept faith with the same line-up that demolished West Ham 4-0, but the Charlton boss was forced into three changes and had to reshuffle his defence. Jonathan Fortune, recalled from a loan spell at Stoke, and Osei Sankofa came in for the suspended Souleymane Diawara and injured Ben Thatcher and, elsewhere, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink replaced the injured Marcus Bent up front.

Both sides started positively, with each forcing a corner inside the opening four minutes, and from Watford's first set-piece of the game Shittu launched himself at Jordan Stewart's far post delivery but was unable to direct his header on target.

The Hornets, playing almost a 4-2-4 shape when they had the ball, then created another opportunity when Bouazza did well to win possession back on the left side of the area and found Priskin, who slipped the ball across to Gavin Mahon, but the skipper sliced a left-footed shot over from the edge of the area.

But an even better chance came and went in the tenth minute when Tommy Smith turned the ball forward over the retreating Talal El Karkouri, who slipped, giving Priskin a free run on goal, but the striker fired straight at Scott Carson.

However, Charlton came right back, with a good cross-field ball from Ambrose picking out Darren Bent on the left, and the striker went inside Adrian Mariappa before unleashing an angled drive that forced Richard Lee into a smart stop at his near post.

With their next attack in the 15th minute though, the Hornets went in front. A lovely flick from Smith found Priskin, who did well to get round Sankofa before standing up a superb cross from the right byline. Francis connected well enough with his header, only to be denied by an excellent Carson stop, but Bouazza, coming in at the far post, kept his head and rifled the rebound into the roof of the net from six yards to make it 1-0.

If that wasn't good enough, Watford doubled their lead with another incisive move five minutes later. Mariappa started it off with a header forward, Francis flicked on to Smith in a central area and the winger weighed up his options before attacking the left side of El Karkouri and sending in an indefensible left-footed delivery that Priskin just failed to make contact with but Francis arrived behind him at the back post to apply the killer touch.

Having scored, Francis became the first player to be booked after 24 minutes for a foul on Fortune, and it then took an excellent challenge from Jay DeMerit to prevent Hasselbaink having what would have been a great chance after he turned Shittu easily in the area.

Still the Hornets turned the screw though, with Fortune forced to divert another dangerous Smith ball over his own bar after the winger had linked to good effect with the overlapping Mariappa down the right flank.

Priskin then chanced his arm with an overhead kick that Carson saved following a Mariappa long throw from the right, but video replays clearly showed the Hungarian had a good claim for a penalty, even though he didn't appeal, as El Karkouri had both hands on the forward's shirt.

Peter Walton also gave Hasselbaink the benefit of the doubt when he appeared to catch Stewart with his elbow as the pair went up for a header, before Watford nearly scored a third. Bouazza embarked on a storming 60-yard run that started in his own half and left Young for dead before sending over an excellent cross that Priskin flicked goal-bound, only to see the ball hit the back of a defender and bounce unkindly for Francis, who was following up.

Francis had an effort rightly ruled out for offside, before Fortune became the second player to be cautioned for a clear body-check on Priskin and Hasselbaink cleared the target with a 25-yard piledriver.

The half finished with Mariappa being bizarrely booked for a supposed foul on Jerome Thomas, but the opening period ended to a richly-deserved standing ovation for the Hornets, who were firmly in control of the game with a 2-0 lead.

Both sides used the interval to make a change. Lloyd Doyley came on for the presumably injured Stewart, with Mariappa switching across to left-back, while Zheng Zhi replaced Hasselbaink.

It was the Addicks who had the first attempt of the second period when, following a free-kick from the left, the ball ricocheted off DeMerit into the path of Darren Bent, but the England striker was unable to hit the target with his right-footed effort.

Charlton continued to take the game to the home side, who had taken their foot off the pedal since half-time and were almost punished after 54 minutes when Holland sent a left-footed curler narrowly wide of Lee's right-hand post.

However, the Hornets almost scored a glorious third a minute later when Doyley sent over a cross from the right that was just behind Francis, but the midfielder improvised with a right-footed volley that only just cleared Carson's bar from 12 yards.

Charlton's next opening came from a Thomas cross from the left that Darren Bent headed down and at Lee, but as the Hornets keeper came out to gather the rebound he sustained a painful kick from the striker, who had every right to challenge for the ball.

Boothroyd made his second change after 63 minutes - and it was a surprising one - with Johan Cavalli coming on for the excellent Francis and switching back to a conventional 4-4-2 formation, but Darren Bent wasn't far away with a far post header shortly after following another Thomas cross.

But Charlton really should have been back in the game after 65 minutes when the increasingly influnetial Alexandre Song picked out Holland in space in the heart of the area, but the midfielder blazed badly over with only Lee to beat.

However, the next time the on-loan Arsenal midfielder picked up the ball barely 60 seconds later Watford were not so fortunate. Song threaded a delightful left-footed pass down the inside right channel and the overlapping Young got past Mariappa and calmly side-footed the ball across Lee and inside the far corner to make it 2-1.

Watford though, did not panic after the setback and had a chance in the 76th minute when Shittu met Williams' corner from the right with a header that appeared to be deflected over, but the referee declined to award the Hornets another set-piece.

Charlton made their second change with 12 minutes remaining, as Kevin Lisbie came on for Holland, and then Priskin was unlucky to see a goal-bound effort deflected away as the home side regained the upper hand.

Pardew made his third and final change with four minutes to go, bringing on Dennis Rommedahl for Thomas, and then Henderson maintained his record of appearing in every Premiership game by coming on for the clearly tired Priskin.

But it was Charlton's substitution that worked to best effect. With barely one minute of normal time remaining, Song spread the ball out to Rommerdahl on the right and the Dutchman flighted over a deep cross which Ambrose headed down and inside Lee's right-hand post to make it 2-2.

And there was still time for the visitors to so nearly win it deep in injury-time when they broke on the counter-attack and had a three-on-two advantage. As Rommerdahl approached the area, he picked out Lisbie to his left and in space. The substitute went round Doyley before firing in a shot that Lee did well to block, but the rebound fell for Rommerdahl who again found Lisbie, but this time the striker fired well wide.

Watford: Lee; Mariappa, DeMerit, Stewart, Shittu; Smith, Francis, Mahon, Williams, Bouazza; Priskin. Substitutes: Doyley for Stewart after 45 mins; Cavalli for Francis after 63 mins; Henderson for Priskin after 88 mins; Kabba and Loach not used.

Charlton Athletic: Carson; Young, El Karkouri, Fortune, Sankofa; Ambrose, Holland, Song, Thomas; Hasselbaink; D Bent. Substitutes: Zhi for Hasselbaink after 45 mins; Lisbie for Holland after 78 mins; Rommedahl for Thomas after 86 mins; Faye and Randolph not used.

Bookings: Francis for a foul on Fortune after 24 mins; Fortune for a foul on Priskin after 43 mins; Mariappa for a foul on Thomas after 45 mins; Sankofa for a foul on Smith after 90 mins.

Attendance: 19,782.

Referee: Peter Walton.