David McGoldrick netted Town’s first penalty of the season, but Troy Deeney equalised as the Blues drew 1-1 with Watford at Portman Road. McGoldrick put Town ahead in the 73rd minute after Gabriele Angella had handled, but Deeney hit back nine minutes from time.
Town boss Mick McCarthy named the same side for the third game running with the Blues lining up in a 4-3-3 formation.
Stephen Hunt missed out on a place on the bench due to the hamstring injury he suffered in training, with Paul Taylor taking his place amongst the subs.
New signing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was left out of the 18 and isn’t expected to be involved until the FA Cup tie against Preston on January 4th.
Watford’s new head coach Giuseppe Sannino made seven changes to the Hornets side Gianfranco Zola lined-up in his final game last week and switched to a 3-5-2 formation.
Neither side created much in a tentative and scrappy opening spell with the players trying to settle into the windy conditions. Lewis McGugan’s low freekick across the Town box from the right was the nearest thing to a chance but Blues keeper Dean Gerken claimed.
On 12 Tommy Smith was booked for a late tackle on Deeney on halfway, the Town defender having slipped when going for an under-hit McGoldrick pass.
Angella lashed well over for the Hornets, who had had most of the possession, in the 23rd minute with rain now blowing across the pitch but sent the ball deep into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand. At the other end, McGoldrick shot across the face of goal from the right.
Watford were within an inch or two of going in front in the 25th minute when Diego Fabbrini hit a shot against Gerken’s left post from a tight angle.
Moments later, Aaron Cresswell struck a powerful effort which deflected over. From the corner, Christophe Berra’s goalbound headed was nodded away.
McGoldrick forced Hornets skipper Almunia into his first serious save of the afternoon in the 31st minute, the Spaniard tipping his 25-yard curler over. From the corner, Berra again won the ball in the air and nodded across goal but Frank Nouble was unable to direct his header goalwards while under pressure.
The Blues were starting to threaten more, although the game was still as scruffy as they come, and in the 36th minute McGoldrick crossed from the right to Murphy, who was unable to direct his header goalwards.
McGoldrick shot over from just inside the area from a well-worked freekick from the 18-yard line on the right in the 39th minute, Cresswell having dummied before Cole Skuse played the ball to the Blues top scorer.
On 43 Nouble cut in from the right, beating two men before forcing Almunia to save at his near post, although may well have been wiser to cut the ball across the box.
Referee Graham Scott brought what had been a disappointing half to a close without either side threatening again.
He scoreline was a fair reflection with the Blues increasingly threatening towards the end with Almunia making saves from McGoldrick and Nouble, while Fabbrini came closest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the post for the visitors.
Town started the second half on the front foot with Watford unable to clear their lines from a Blues corner and a loose ball almost falling for Smith.
On 55 a strong run by McGoldrick led to the increasingly involved Ryan Tunnicliffe and Nouble both having shots blocked.
A minute later, Fabbrini played in Sean Murray on the right and Gerken palmed his shot behind at his near post.
But it was Town who had been on top for the most part since the break and in the 58th minute a slick move ended with a Cresswell cross being deflected behind.
As the game reached the hour mark applause rang round in tribute to Kevin Beattie on his 60th birthday, before Daniel Pudil was booked for a foul on Luke Chambers.
Hyam and McGoldrick both scuffed shots wide from the edge of the box with the Blues on top but with Almunia untroubled.
Town went in front in the 73rd minute via their first penalty of the season. Nouble crossed from the left and Angella was adjudged to have handled the ball by referee Scott.
After lengthy protests with several players surrounding and in some cases appearing push the official, the Hornets were fortunate that only Joel Ekstrand was booked.
When order was restored, McGoldrick rolled home his ninth goal of the season, the ball going to Almunia’s left as the ex-Arsenal man went in the other direction.
Thorne was booked for a foul, then Marco Cassetti almost seized on a mix-up between Berra and Gerken on the edge of the six-yard box but eventually the keeper pounced on the ball.
Watford, who had only rarely threatened since the break, got back on terms in the 81st minute. Cassetti crossed from the right, the ball deflected off Cresswell and Deeney got ahead of Berra to stab past Gerken.
Town should have won it in the 88th minute when Almunia pushed McGoldrick’s shot into the air following an excellent move down the left. Hyam reacted quickest but headed onto the bar with the goal gaping. The loose ball came out to Nouble but his volley went past the post.
Watford sub Ikechi Anya shot wide from distance moments before the fourth official’s board signalled four additional minutes, but neither side were able to grab a winner.
The second half was an improvement on the drab first period with the Blues largely having had the upper hand and overall probably worth all three points.
Town, now without a home win against Watford in nine games stretching back to 2004, deserved their lead when it came with the Hornets’ equaliser coming somewhat against the run of play, while Hyam will feel he should have netted the winner late on having done well to anticipate Almunia stopping but not claiming McGoldrick’s shot.
The result sees the Blues move up one place to ninth but still three points away from the play-off zone ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Doncaster Rovers.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Cresswell, Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Nouble, McGoldrick, Murphy. Unused: Loach, Mings, Edwards, Tabb, Anderson, Graham, Taylor.
Watford: Almunia (c), Doyley, Angella, Ekstrand, Cassetti, Murray (Battocchio 78), Thorne, McGugan, Pudil (Anya 80), Fabbrini (Forestieri 83), Deeney. Unused: Bond, McEachran, Iriney, Nosworthy. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire). Att: 16,385 (Watford: 1,027).