Coventry City 0 - Watford 3

Marlon King scored one and created the other two as leaders Watford extended their unbeaten run in the Coca-Cola Championship to nine games with victory over Coventry at the Ricoh Arena.

King set up Adam Johnson for the Hornets' first after half an hour before scoring his fourth goal in as many games to double the lead two minutes before the break, firing home Danny Shittu's flick-on from a Jordan Stewart free-kick.

The game was put beyond doubt just seconds into the second half when King laid on Darius Henderson, whose early shot appeared to catch City goalkeeper Andy Marshall off guard.

Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie made two changes to the side defeated by Plymouth on Saturday, recalling Kevin Kyle and David McNamee, while opposite number Adrian Boothroyd named an unchanged side as his side went in search of a fourth straight victory.

Stephen Hughes' well-struck free-kick in the third minute was as close as the home side came to making a breakthrough but even that fizzed comfortably over Richard Lee's crossbar.

King's usually reliable predatory instincts deserted him in the 20th minute when he wasted the first real opportunity of the game.

Having shrugged off Elliott Ward's challenge, King found himself clean through but shot straight at Marshall before his second effort cannoned off the outside of the right post for a goal kick. The leaders began to up the tempo and two minutes later only the superb reactions of Marshall denied John-Joe O'Toole from point-blank range before the ball was scrambled to safety.

Dowie had already been dealt a blow today when it was announced a transfer embargo had been placed on the club after they fell behind in repayments to Southampton for the transfer of Leon Best - who was named among the substitutes.

The sight of Gary Borrowdale being stretchered off in the 25th minute will hardly have helped his mood, with the left-back replaced by Arjan de Zeeuw.

And his day got even worse when on-loan Middlesbrough winger Johnson opened the scoring, popping up unmarked at the far post to drill King's lofted ball into the bottom-right corner.

The goal was no more than Watford deserved and it was no surprise when King made it two just before the break, swivelling to smash the ball beyond Marshall with a typically clinical finish.

Watford began the second half just as they finished the first, with King again instrumental, finding strike partner Henderson in space before he found the right corner.

With the game sewn up, Watford began to sit back and Coventry could count themselves unfortunate not to pull one back when Ben Turner's header was cleared off the line.

City substitute Robbie Simpson should have done better from Kyle's cross when he rose unchallenged in the 63rd minute but his header was well over the bar.

Shittu could have made it four down the other end moments later with a low shot from 25 yards and Hornets replacement Tamas Priskin was particularly wasteful when sent through in the 77th minute.

The Hornets' other two substitutes, Jobi McAnuff and Nathan Ellington almost combined to successful effect with five minutes left with the former West Brom striker narrowly missing the winger's ball across the face of goal.

Michael Mifsud wasted the best of three excellent late chances for City, capping a miserable night for Dowie's side.

Source: Soccernet