Soccer

Watford return to Premier League as Brighton victory proves enough to go up

Middlesbrough and Norwich both drop points as Hornets return to top flight

Troy Deeney scores Watford’s first goal during the Championship match against Brighton at the AMEX Stadium. Photo: Clive Gee/PA Wire
Troy Deeney scores Watford’s first goal during the Championship match against Brighton at the AMEX Stadium. Photo: Clive Gee/PA Wire
Sat Apr 25 2015 - 18:04

Championship round-up: Watford won 2-0 at Brighton in the lunch-time kick-off but had to wait to celebrate promotion to the Premier League.

Promotion rivals Norwich and Middlesbrough both slipped up in their games, which kicked off at 3pm, which meant Watford could start their party.

Goals from Troy Deeney and Matej Vydra gave the Hornets a 2-0 victory at Brighton – a fifth successive Championship triumph – before a crowd of 28,841 at the Amex Stadium to move a step nearer the Premier League.

And their return to the top flight was confirmed when Norwich were held 1-1 at Rotherham, while Middlesbrough lost 4-3 at Fulham.

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Defeat for Brighton, their fifth in the last six games, followed a familiar theme as they again failed to take their chances despite an improved display.

The Seagulls should have taken something from the game and defender Joe Bennett wasted an opportunity to grab them a point late on, before Czech substitute Vydra sealed the points with a cool finish in the last minute of stoppage time.

A hat-trick from Lee Gregory in Millwall’s 3-3 draw with Derby was not enough to lift the Lions out of the relegation zone.

Millwall looked on course to leapfrog Rotherham, who were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player on Friday, when they were 3-1 up after 50 minutes, but a 70th-minute penalty from Chris Martin and Jeff Hendrick’s strike five minutes from time handed play-off hopefuls Derby a valuable point to keep Millwall in 22nd, one point behind the Millers.

Derby’s late equaliser handed a lifeline to Wigan, who are three points adrift of safety after their 1-0 defeat to Wolves, which leaves Kenny Jackett’s side eighth in the table, two points away from the play-off places.

Brentford are also two points behind sixth-placed Derby after seeing off Reading 2-0.

Elsewhere Freddie Sears scored a priceless 83rd-minute winner as fifth-placed Ipswich remained in the play-off zone with an edgy 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

Huddersfield and Blackburn played out a 2-2 draw, while Birmingham recorded a 1-0 victory over Charlton.

Leeds beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in a hotly-contested Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough and Cardiff beat basement club Blackpool 3-2.