WATFORD secured their Championship status in the best way possible with a 1-0 win at Stoke City on Saturday, April 30.

Appropriately it was leading scorer Heidar Helguson who ensured that Adrian Boothroyd successfully completed his first mission for the Hornets - keeping them up. His side had to survive a few nervy moments at the Britannia Stadium but they defended resolutely and emerged with a third consecutive clean sheet to send the large and vocal contingent of travelling fans home happy.

The match also saw the first appearance in a senior shirt of midfielder Al Bangura, who was surprisingly among the substitutes and pressed into action during the first-half when Gavin Mahon sustained a knee ligament injury.

The Watford boss made two changes for the last away game of the season, one of which was enforced following the end of Chris Eagles' loan spell. Hameur Bouazza came in on the left side of midfield, with Ashley Young switching to the right, while Danny Cullip returned at the expense of Neil Cox, who dropped to the bench. Dominic Blizzard kept his place in the centre of midfield as Bryn Gunnarsson was not fit enough to return, but the list of substitutes must have been among the youngest in Watford history. It featured three Academy scholars including, for the first time, young Sierra Leone midfielder Bangura.

Stoke, meanwhile, were unchanged from the team that won at Crewe and there was a rousing ovation from the Hornets fans before kick-off for former favourite Gifton Noel-Williams after he received one of the Potters supporters' Player of the Season awards.

Watford started positively and had most of the early play with Young twice getting opportunities to break at the home side's defence, although it was Stoke who had the first attempts, seeing a free-kick blocked and Kenwyne Jones head well wide. Then Dave Brammer missed the target from the edge of the area after Noel-Williams had headed down.

But little of note happened until Watford suffered a major blow after 25 minutes when Mahon injured his right knee in a block tackle with Jones. The visitors played the next four minutes with ten men and then Bangura came on for his senior debut but his first real involvement was to clatter into Lewis Neal with a chest high challenge.

Stoke did finally muster a meaningful attempt on 39 minutes when Clive Clarke clipped in a free-kick and Michael Duberry got free on the right side of the six-yard box, but his downward header was comfortably claimed by Alec Chamberlain. The home side had what was shaping up to be a better opening soon after when Karl Henry played in a cross from the right but, with Neal coming in at the far post, a breakdown in communication saw Jones head the ball away from his team-mate.

But two minutes before the break Watford were not far away from taking the lead when Bouazza crossed from the left and Helguson volleyed narrowly over from an acute angle on the far side of the area. Then in stoppage-time Lloyd Doyley broke free down the right and pulled a cross back to the edge of the area where Blizzard rather got underneath his attempted volley, but Steve Simonsen still had to back-track to tip over his own bar. From Young's resultant corner on the right, Helguson headed at the Stoke keeper.

The flurry of activity at the end of the first-half, which had been out of keeping with most of the opening 45 minutes, ended with Neal firing in a cross-shot from the left side of the area which Chamberlain held.

Watford changed tactics at the start of the second-half, with Young switching to a central role behind Helguson and Bouazza moving to the right and Bruce Dyer to the left. And five minutes after the restart the Hornets were in front. Young swung in a free-kick from near the right touchline and the ball was headed out to Bouazza on the left side of the area. He nodded the ball back into the danger zone and Helguson got goalside of his man to volley home his 19th of the season from close range.

Stoke tried to raise their game in response to going behind but the Hornets rearguard remained resolute, although Brammer headed a clear-cut opening directly at Chamberlain after 64 minutes following a Chris Greenacre cross and then Jay DeMerit did very well to block a Greenacre shot on the turn.

Stoke went closer still on 70 minutes when Greenacre tried an improvised half-volley from just outside the right side of the area that the back-tracking Chamberlain watched worryingly as it bounced over after hitting the top of his bar.

The visitors made a second change three minutes later when Cox replaced the hobbling DeMerit and the Hornets could have made the points safe ten minutes from time when Cox clipped in a pass from the left to the totally unmarked Helguson, but he headed badly over from 12 yards. Then Watford launched a swift counter-attack which ended with Young firing wide from the edge of the area.

Anthony McNamee replaced Bouazza for the final five minutes but the Hornets safely saw out and three minutes of injury-time to cue the celebrations among their fans.

Stoke City: Simonsen; Henry, Duberry, Taggart, Clarke; Greenacre, Brammer, Russell, Neal; Jones, Noel-Williams. Substitutes: Patterson for Jones after 55 mins; Halls for Clarke after 66 mins; Ricketts for Neal after 75 mins; Buxton and de Goey not used.

Watford: Chamberlain; Doyley, Cullip, DeMerit, Chambers; Young, Blizzard, Mahon, Bouazza; Helguson, Dyer. Substitutes: Bangura for Mahon after 29 mins; Cox for DeMerit after 73 mins; McNamee for Bouazza after 85 mins; Osborne and Kirk not used.

Bookings: Duberry for a foul on Helguson after 79 mins.

Attendance: 15,229.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.