Offical site: Match dashboard

BBC: Middlesbrough continued their return to form with a third win from four unbeaten against an under-performing Watford at Vicarage Road.

Sky: Local boy Josh Coburn scored the 63rd-minute winner that halted an improbable comeback by Watford, who now sit just a point above their visitors having won just one of their last eight league fixtures.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 2 Middlesbrough 3

Poor Hornets suffer Boro defeat

Ismael admits his change of shape was “not a good decision”

Does Ismael fear the often-used international-break Pozzo trigger finger?

BHappy: If three goals within the opening twenty minutes sounds exciting, it really wasn’t.  “Park football” was Vicky’s comment as the visitors demonstrated that they were equally capable of offering unchallenged chances…  an accurate but optimistic Porteous pass somehow found it’s way beyond Boro’s defence to Bayo who even more somehow overcame his traditional fallibility in such situations to steady himself and roll past Dieng.

Fran’s Watford Blog: Ismaël made a change at the break bringing Martins on in place of Rajović, who had been invisible.  The substitute was involved immediately winning a corner.  His next contribution was to find Dele-Bashiru whose shot from outside the box cleared the bar.  The Hornets should have equalised when a cross from Ngakia was met by a great header from Bayo that was on target, but Dieng made a wonderful save to keep it out.  The resultant corner was cleared to Hoedt on the edge of the box from where he found the bottom corner to level the game.  It was interesting that he ran to the dugout to celebrate.  There was another booking for the Hornets as Sierralta was cautioned for a rash challenge on Crooks.  The Boro player stayed on his feet, which was as well, or Sierralta could have seen red.

From the Rookery End: Jon, Mike and Jason discuss the reactions of Val, fans, players and how the Watford landscape is looking after the Hornets 2-3 home defeat to Middlesbrough.

Post Match

The Hornets reacquainted themselves with the Championship after a five-year absence with the sort of gritty win you need to chisel out regularly if you are going to have a real crack at navigating a way out of this notoriously difficult division.

RELIVE: Hornets beat Boro in Championship opener

There was always going to be a new look as Watford set out on life back in the second tier, but it’s fair to say the team didn’t have quite the look most fans would have hoped for.

Vladimir Ivic wants Watford to improve after scrappy Middlesbrough win

Watford players rated after beating Middlesbrough

Craig Cathcart claims scrappy Middlesbrough win will boost Watford

Defender Craig Cathcart scored the winner after 11 minutes, heading past Boro goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.

Boro’s Britt Assombalonga came close to levelling the scores on several occasions and the visitors’ best opening came when the frontman’s curling free-kick was tipped over the bar by Hornets ‘keeper Ben Foster.

Whether Ivic can maintain the momentum rests largely on which players are sold before the transfer deadline, with Deeney and Welbeck reportedly close to joining Premier League clubs. But in young, hungry players such as Pedro and Jeremy Ngakia – making his debut at right-back following his move from West Ham – coupled with old hands such as Foster, Murray and the match-winner Cathcart, he will be hopeful of a successful first campaign in English football.

The official justifications for our many, many absences – 17, reportedly… that it’s hard to keep track tells you everything – range from injured to ill to unfit, often vague and understandably so.  There’s injured and there’s “injured”, one suspects. Twitter rumour claims that Craig Dawson has refused to play, which if true given his miserable half-arsed effort against Spurs is comparable to Andy Cole’s notorious retirement from international duty.