Smith and King extend the Watford gap

Goals from Tommy Smith — his second of the season — and Marlon King — his fifth in as many matches — kept Watford and manager Boothroyd on their winning run.

New Palace boss Neil Warnock must now turn his attention to Saturday's trip to Scunthorpe as he searches for his first win since replacing Peter Taylor at Selhurst Park.

Warnock admitted pre-match that his patience was running thin with his newly inherited squad having taken just one point from his first two games in charge.

In an attempt to improve Palace's flagging fortunes, the former Sheffield United boss spent the run-up to last night's clash securing the services of Portsmouth's 20-year-old French winger Franck Songo'o on a one-month loan.

His inclusion in the starting line-up was one of five changes made by Warnock from last Tuesday's 3-1 home defeat to Stoke. There was also a debut for 17-year-old Lee Hills at left-back.

Boothroyd had little need to tinker with his winning formula, which saw Watford head into last night's match on an nine-game unbeaten run and having won their last four. The Watford boss kept faith with the same 11 that won 3-0 at Coventry last week.

Despite the gap between the two in the Championship, there was little to choose between the league leaders and the home side — still rooted in the bottom three in the opening exchanges.

Warnock's side looked to play the prettier stuff, with Songo'o catching the eye down the right, while Watford opted to get the ball forward to Marlon King and Darius Henderson as quickly as possible using the long ball.

But despite a high tempo, neither keeper was troubled in the opening 20 minutes. King came closest for Watford, his shot from the edge of the box deflecting off Mark Hudson's legs and just wide of Julian Speroni's goal.

King's effort had the desired effect on Boothroyd's side as they forced Palace on to the back-foot. John- Joe O'Toole came close to breaking the deadlock, just failing to stab Gavin Mahon's flick-on over the line.

Moments later Watford made their pressure count when King's shot rebounded off the boot of Speroni into the path of Tommy Smith, who drilled the ball in off the post from an acute angle in the 32nd minute.

Any chance of a revival was snuffed out on 67 minutes when Adam Johnson broke forward on the counter-attack before feeding King who finished smartly from the edge of the box for his seventh goal of the season.

Warnock, willing to try everything, threw on 15-year-old substitute John Bostock with 18 minutes remaining but it was to no avail.