Tommy Smith put the Hornets ahead in the 33rd minute when he headed home a Mathew Sadler corner from six yards and Nathan Ellington doubled the advantage in the 56th minute with a neat finish from inside the penalty area.

Jonathan Walters pulled a goal back for Jim Magilton's side in the 71st minute but Adrian Boothroyd's side held on to claim the win which sent them a point clear of West Brom at the top of the table.

The Baggies slip to second place after they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Barnsley at Oakwell and are only ahead of third-placed Bristol City on goal difference.

Barnsley took the lead in the 29th minute through Daniel Nardiello and Jon Macken added a second in first-half injury time. James Morrison (58) pulled one back for Tony Mowbray's side but despite five minutes of additional time they were unable to equalise.

Goals from Dele Adebola (seven) and Bradley Orr (56) gave Bristol City a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Ashton Gate. Lee Bullen netted a late goal for the visitors but the Owls rarely troubled Gary Johnson's side.

Stoke also stayed in touch with the leaders after they claimed a 4-2 win over Wolves at Molineux.

A fourth-minute header from Rory Delap put the Potters ahead but Wolves equalised with a close-range volley from Rob Edwards on the stroke of half-time.

Andy Keogh gave Mick McCarthy's side the lead in the 47th minute but Liam Lawrence's 18-yard strike two minutes later levelled the scores. Leon Cort (74) and Ricardo Fuller (90) both found the net to hand the away team maximum points.

Hull missed the chance to move into the play-off berths after they were held to a 2-2 draw by a Blackpool side reduced to 10 men at KC Stadium.

Paul Dickov (39 and 50) had given the visitors a two-goal lead but Caleb Folan (60) and veteran Dean Windass (71) pulled Hull level before Kaspars Gorkss was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 83rd minute.

Ched Evans struck twice to give Norwich a 2-1 win over Cardiff at Ninian Park in today's early kick-off. The Canaries striker had given his side the lead in the 15th minute but Gavin Rae equalised for the Bluebirds in first-half injury-time.

The match seemed destined for a draw but Evans struck a 30-yard screamer two minutes from time to give his side the win.

Sean St Ledger's 21st-minute header gave Preston a 1-0 win over Coventry at Deepdale which helped them climb out of the relegation zone.

Second-bottom Scunthorpe had Grant McCann sent off in the 10th minute but battled for the remainder of the game to hold Sheffield United to a 0-0 draw at Bramall Lane.

Andrew Cole (23) scored his first goal for Burnley but Colchester left with a point from a 1-1 draw thanks to a Johnnie Jackson equaliser seven minutes before half-time.

Elsewhere Patrick Agyemang grabbed a brace to help QPR to 3-2 away victory over Southampton.

Darren Powell had put the Saints ahead in the first minute but Martin Rowlands (38) and Agyemang (45 and 60) gave QPR a 3-1 lead.

Southampton midfielder Youssef Safri was shown a red card in the 78th minute before Stern John grabbed a late consolation for the home side.

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A superb performance from winger Peter Halmosi inspired Plymouth to a 1-0 win over Ian Holloway's Leicester side in a fiery encounter at the Walkers Stadium.

Plymouth chairman Paul Stapleton's extraordinary outburst against Holloway - who left Argyle for City last November - in midweek fuelled a hostile atmosphere in the day's late kick-off.

And Halmosi's composed 34th-minute strike ensured that his former manager endured a torrid 90 minutes as the defeat saw Holloway's new side slip dangerously close to the drop zone.