Sindre Walle Egeli’s 37th-minute goal has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead against Watford at Vicarage Road.

Town made four changes from the team which lost 5-3 at Wrexham on Saturday with Dan Neil handed his full league debut and Leif Davis absent from the squad.

Jacob Greaves replaced Davis at left-back with Neil alongside Azor Matusiwa in midfield, while Marcelino Nunez came in as the number 10 with Walle Egeli on the right.

Anis Mehmeti and Wes Burns dropped to the bench, alongside Ben Johnson, who returned to the 20 having been left out at Wrexham at the weekend.

Watford made four changes from the team which beat Derby 2-0 at home on Saturday with Mattie Pollock, Jeremy Petris and Marc Bola coming into the defence with Jeremy Ngakia and Edo Kayembe moving to the bench and Saba Goglichidze left out of the squad.

Giorgi Chakvetadze replaced Othmane Maamma, who suffered a knock against the Rams.

Town began brightly, winning two early corners on the left taken by Nunez, the second of which in the sixth minute flew across the six-yard area and wasn’t far away from creeping inside the far post.

On seven, Christian Walton required treatment after an aerial collision with Greaves and Nestory Irankunda after a corner had been half-cleared and returned but fortunately the Blues keeper was fine.

Town continued to have the better of it, working a good opening for Azor Matusiwa on the edge of the area to the right in the 19th minute but the Dutchman clipped a cross into home keeper Egil Selvik’s arms rather than shooting.

A minute later, Nunez played a clever ball down the right for Ivan Azon to chase as Selvik made a rash run off his line. The Spanish striker reached it but was unable to find a teammate in the area as the byline approached and the danger was cleared.

The Blues were gaining confidence, however, with Neil very influential in midfield and working well with former Sunderland teammate Clarke.

On 23, Walle Egeli hit a shot too close to Selvik, then Azon blazed well over from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later, James Abankwah was shown the game’s first yellow card for pulling back Clarke as the winger cut inside him on the left.

Nunez took the free-kick and hit it powerfully towards goal, a Watford defender diverting it over.

Irankunda got his name taken by referee Ben Toner in the 28th minute for waving his arms at the official in protest at a throw-in being awarded to Town.

Two minutes later, Azon won the ball in the air on halfway and chased after it, a defender toeing it away from him but only to Clarke, who took it on before Abankwah, already on a yellow card, slid in not appearing to get a touch on the ball. However, referee Toner waved away the Blues’ claims of a foul.

There was a big scare for the Blues in the 32nd minute. Clarke lost possession, then the ball deflected off Matusiwa as the Dutchman challenged and sent Petris away on goal. The Frenchman had only Walton to beat but Town skipper Dara O’Shea did well to get back and put Petris under pressure and the full-back’s strike flew wide, much to the amusement of the Town fans behind the goal.

Moments later, Stephen Mfuni worked himself space to cross from the left and Kjerrumgaard flicked a header wide.

But it had been mainly the Blues and in the 37th minute, they went in front. Pollock went through the back of Azon’s ankles on the edge of the area. Nunez’s free-kick hit Mfuni in the wall and looped out to Walle Egeli on the right of the box and the Norwegian international volleyed into the ground and past Selvik to his right.

The Town fans at the other end, already in very good voice, roared as the home support claimed the referee was to blame for the goal, although it was difficult to see their argument as it looked an obvious foul on Azon.

Aside from O’Shea heading wide from a free-kick but from an offside position, the goal was the last serious action of a half controlled from the off by the Blues, who thoroughly deserved their lead.

Town had passed the ball around slickly from the off, looking more confident on the ball than they had at Wrexham with Neil impressing.

There had been one or two opportunities prior to Walle Egeli’s third goal of the season but without Selvik having been overly tested.

At the other end, Town had been fortunate Petris had failed to take his opportunity, but other than that and the header immediately afterwards, the Hornets had presented little threat.

Watford: Selvik, Petris, Pollock, Abankwah, Mfuni, Bola, Louza (c), N Mendy, Irankunda, Chakvetadze, Kjerrumgaard. Subs: Baxter, Ngakia, F Mendy, Bove, Kayembe, Ekwah, Ince, Semedo, Doumbia.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O'Shea (c), Kipre, Greaves, Matusiwa, Neil, Walle Egeli, Nunez, Clarke, Azon. Subs: Palmer, Johnson, Cajuste, Taylor, Burns, McAteer, Mehmeti, Akpom, Hirst. Referee: Ben Toner (Lancashire).

Photo: Matchday Images