A first-half effort from Troy Deeney was enough for Watford to take a 1-0 win over Birmingham City in the Championship this evening.

The home side had the better of the early chances in a quiet opening half-hour, and were able to take the lead when Fernando Forestieri found Deeney, who recovered from an air shot to blast the ball home.

Deeney's goal lifted Watford, and they dominated the final 10 minutes of the first half, but were unable to double their lead before the break.

On-loan striker Federico Macheda had a chance to get Birmingham back on level teams less than 10 minutes after the restart, but Manuel Almunia kept it out.

Watford responded to Birmingham's quick start, with Forestieri unleashing a powerful left-footed effort, but he could not beat the keeper.

The visitors pushed hard in the final 10 minutes as they tried to get back on level terms, with Will Packwood almost finding the target deep into stoppage time, but his shot slipped just wide, condemning the visitors to defeat.