Watford are rocked by double blow

Watford's hopes of automatic promotion took a knock last night as West Brom and Hull both won to move into the top two spots in the Championship with just three games left.

Albion's 1-0 triumph at Wolves took them back to first place, and all three of their remaining games are against teams in the bottom half of the division.

Hull also took a huge step towards the Premier League by overcoming Barnsley - who had won their previous two matches - 3-1 at Oakwell. Former Tottenham midfielder Dean Marney opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

Fifth-placed Watford are three points adrift of Hull and five behind West Brom.

The Hornets face Crystal Palace - who occupy the final play-off place - in a crucial match at Vicarage Road on Saturday.