WATFORD fans thought they were going to have to get used to their third goalkeeper in as many weeks when substitute Mark Tyler’s number flashed up two minutes from time. Fortunately, it turned out to be just a gremlin in the electronic number board or possibly force of habit after Watford saw Mart Poom and Scott Loach carried off in successive weeks.

To the relief of everyone at Vicarage Road, Tyler, who was brought in on loan from Peterborough last week, was not required after all. Richard Lee saw out all 90 minutes between the sticks as Watford held on for their first Championship victory in six games, surviving a brave second-half save at the feet of Sean St Ledger.

Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd had threatened to go out and sweep up some players off the streets if his squad did not show improvement. But despite a tepid performance in the second half, during which Preston had plenty of the ball but very few chances, his team just about deserved the points for their first-half comeback, leaving Boothroyd all smiles.

Former Watford owner Sir Elton John, the club’s honorary life president, also produced some off-key noises before the game, warning that the side are heading for “catastrophe” under their present owners. The players, however, were in tune with the club’s needs after recovering from a dreadful mistake by Adrian Mariappa that allowed defender St Ledger an easy goal.

As both teams have been shipping goals of late, it promised to be the first of many at both ends. Watford equalised when Tamas Priskin controlled a through ball from the outstanding Tommy Smith and laid it into the path of Jon Harley, who scored.

After 21 minutes Watford were ahead through Smith, who would not take no for an answer when goalkeeper Andy Lonergan saved his first effort. It was his 50th Watford goal and his fifth of the season and left Boothroyd saying: “We had to defend for our lives in the second half but thankfully the work that we did saw us through. I’m thrilled for Tommy because he’s been outstanding this season.

“He’s chipping in with goals and he has the ability to manipulate the ball in tight situations. He’s also got workrate. You need soldiers and artists in your team and it’s rare that you have a player with both.”

Boothroyd wants to get things right outside the white lines, too. Asked whether he thought the club were heading for catastrophe, he instead launched a defence of his club’s sportsmanship, threatening to end the multi-ball system if Preston’s complaints that the ball took too long to come back into play are substantiated.

It was a fourth successive defeat for not-so-proud Preston who, like Watford, were hoping to be rubbing shoulders with the leaders. Manager Alan Irvine, a man who is a little less poetic than Eric Cantona, said: “It’s a question of putting things right at both ends of the pitch.” He added: “We deserved to lose because of our defending in the first half. The defending for both goals was terrible.

“We’ve conceded 10 in the last four, which is a major concern. If we can get that right then we will be okay.”

Star man:Tommy Smith (Watford)

WATFORD:Lee, 6, Mariappa 6, DeMerit 6 (Bromby 89min), Ward 7, Sadler 6, Smith 8, Williamson 6, O’Toole 6, Harley 7, Hoskins 7 (Bangura 88min), Priskin 7 (Henderson 78min)

PRESTON:Jones 6, Mawene 5, St Ledger 7, McEveley 6, Sedgwick 6, McKenna 6 (Jarrett 74min), Nicholson 6 (Parkin 86min), Wallace 6, Brown 6, Mellor 5 (Elliott ht, 6)

Referee:K Wright Attendance:14,087