Match Report

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago an admittedly weakened Watford side were booed off their Vicarage Road pitch after being thumped 4-1 by Wolves in the FA Cup.

Fast forward seven days and a still not full-strength Hornets reasserted their automatic promotion credentials by moving back up to second in the Championship table after ending their three-and-a-half month search for a home league win with their biggest success of the season in their own back yard.

Relief was in the air among the Hornets faithful at the final whistle and no wonder after such a dismal sequence of home results, but no one felt that emotion more than Steve Kabba.

More than two years and 32 games since the striker found the net for Sheffield United in an FA Cup third round defeat against Colchester United, Kabba was in the right place to capitalise on an exocet of a long throw from another Blades old boy, new Watford signing Leigh Bromby, to head in at the far post inside the opening minute.

It was the perfect start but, if anything, it inspired Wolves more, but they had little to show for their first-half supremacy in both territory and possession thanks to the battling qualities of the home side, personified by the central defensive pairing of Bromby and Adrian Mariappa.

The game looked like it might follow a similar pattern after the restart, but then Watford began to gain the upper hand. Jobi McAnuff had a shot cleared off the line, Tommy Smith headed over and Nathan Ellington saw another header tipped over before the Hornets did get a second.

Ellington attacked the near post area to divert Mat Sadler's corner from the right into the six-yard box where Smith pounced to divert the ball into the roof of the net.

Not content with scoring his third of the season, Smith added his fourth within 60 seconds - racing onto a Darius Henderson flick-on to easily beat Wayne Hennessey with a low shot from the edge of the area.

The margin of defeat was harsh on Wolves but in three month's time it may be looked back on as the win which kick-started Watford's assault on promotion again.

Corners

Fouls

Goal attempts

Shots off target

Offsides