Paul Gallagher scored twice as Plymouth beat Watford 2-1 at Home Park to ease their relegation worries.
Plymouth pull clear of trouble with 2-1 win
Paul Gallagher scored twice as Plymouth beat Watford 2-1 at Home Park to ease their relegation worries.
Gallagher broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 35th minute before Tommy Smith equalised for Watford early in the second half.
Plymouth were not to be denied, however, and clinched all three points thanks to another Gallagher strike on 73 minutes.
Both sides used the early stages to find their feet in difficult weather conditions as wind and rain swept through Home Park, but it proved to be an open start with both sides showing their attacking intent.
Watford goalkeeper Scott Loach was the busier of the two shot-stoppers as the hosts enjoyed a series of half chances inside the opening 20 minutes.
Ashley Barnes, 19, then came within a whisker of opening the scoring when he turned neatly on the edge of the area and unleashed a superb strike that beat Loach but rebounded off the crossbar.
The chance inspired the home side further and Barnes, making only his second start for the club, could only watch in despair four minutes later as his header once again came back off the woodwork.
But Plymouth took a deserved lead in the 35th minute when Gavin Hoyte brought down Alan Judge in the area and referee Nigel Miller had no option but to point to the spot, leaving Gallagher to fire home.
Plymouth marginally enjoyed the better of things at the start of the second half but it was midfielder Lee Williamson who came the closest for Watford after 54 minutes with a 25-yard free-kick that flew over the bar.
Terrible mix-up
And the visitors were level just five minutes later thanks to Smith, who was introduced at half-time in place of Will Hoskins.
Pilgrims defenders Marcel Seip and Craig Cathcart were involved in a terrible mix-up allowing Smith to nip in, round goalkeeper Romain Larrieu and fire into the net.
Tamas Priskin headed over from close range for a confident Watford but it was Gallagher who put the home side back in front with 73 minutes on the clock.
Following a break down the right, the ball found its way to Judge and he crossed to the on-loan Blackburn marksman who had plenty of time and space to dink the ball over Loach.
Larrieu was forced to scramble the ball away to safety in the closing stages as Watford pressed for a second equaliser but it was not to be and the home side held on to move onto 42 points.
