Nottingham Forest 0-3 Watford

ANOTHER Matej Vydra brace helped Watford into fourth place in the npower Championship as they dispatched with a poor Forest side.

Vydra prodded the Hornets into the lead before Troy Deeney added a second. The Czech forward rounded off the scoring in style with 20 minutes left.

Gianfranco Zola brought Daniel Pudil back in for Craig Forsyth, otherwise it was the same XI which beat Huddersfield Town last weekend, though Jonathan Hogg was back among the substitutes.

Alex McLeish opted not to throw Darius Henderson straight in for a debut, instead putting Dexter Blackstock up top with Billy Sharp and Simon Cox.

In a tetchy first quarter of an hour, neither side really created anything of note as Forest got stuck into the Horns from the off.

However on 17 minutes Deeney nearly opened the scoring when he raced onto a ball over the top & cracked a half volley narrowly wide of the far post.

Three minutes later the former Walsall man wriggled free down the right-hand side and pulled a low cross back for Vydra to stab into an empty net.

An almighty goalmouth scramble ought to have yielded a second for the Golden Boys after Almen Abdi's shot was blocked for a corner.

With 11 minutes until half-time, Watford doubled their lead with Vydra turning provider for Deeney to slip a second past Karl Darlow.

It was a beautiful breakaway move from the visitors, with Cristian Battocchio somehow finding Vydra as he slid to keep the ball in before collecting the return and lifting the ball over the top for Vydra to scamper after.

Blackstock had a decent chance for the hosts when he looped a header agonisingly wide of Manuel Almunia's right-hand post before Cox angled one wide.

A menace throughout, Blackstock's blushes were spared in first half injury time by the linesman when he volleyed comfortably wide from a free-kick, despite being goal side of the last defender.

Half-time: 0-2

Five minutes after the break Battocchio made progress down the right before firing in a right-wing cross which crashed against the crossbar.

In the 56th minute Vydra's ingenuity nearly paid off when he curled a quickly-taken free-kick into the side netting of Darlow's goal from 20 yards.

Immediately after Abdi cut inside from the left before prodding to Nathaniel Chalobah to fire into Darlow's palms.

With 18 minutes to play Watford killed the tie off when he raced onto Deeney's flick and quick-as-a-flash lobbed the ball over the on rushing Darlow to kill the tie.

Full-time: 0-3

Nottingham Forest: Darlow; Jara Reyes, Ward, Collins, Halford; Gillett (Reid), Cohen, Lansbury; Cox, Blackstock (Henderson) & Sharp.

Subs not used: Evtimov (GK), Harding, McGugan & Greening.

Watford: Almunia (c); Doyley, Ekstrand, Nosworthy; Cassetti (Hall), Chalobah (Yeates), Battocchio (Hogg) Abdi, Pudil; Deeney & Vydra.

Subs not used: Bond (GK), Eustace, Geijo & Forestieri.

Attendance: 20 732

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