THERE'S still no separating the teams at the top of the Championship as the spoils were shared at West Brom.
Leigh Bromby opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock, but Leon Barnett's leveller means that there is still a whole load to play for in the final three games of this arduous season.
Mention must go to John Eustace who was inspired in the Watford midfield and morphed the Watford from Wednesday night into an organised troop with guts and guile.
Watford remain in the play-off spots, two points off of the automatic places with nine points still up for grabs.
Aidy Boothroyd chose to make wholesale changes ahead of kick-off with Tamas Priskin joining Darius Henderson in attack
Jordan Stewart started in the left back position instead of Mat Sadler, who was deployed to the bench and Tommy Smith was back in midfield after missing the midweek game.
The sell out Hawthorns crowd was rocking form the start with both sets of fans knowing that this was a game of huge importance. A win for either side would propel them back into the automatic promotion places, so there really was everything to play for.
And didn't Watford just know it, for six minutes in, they took the lead.
Jobi McAnuff's corner was whipped in to the box and John Joe O'Toole rose highest to head goalwards. Dean Kiely sprawled as best he could, but could only parry the ball as far as the lurking Leigh Bromby.
The centre half reacted quickest to side foot home at the far post to send the visiting Hornets supporters into delirium to begin the chants of "1-0 to the Golden Boys" and "Aidy Boothroyd" to silence the home fans.
There was still a long way to go, but Watford were looking solid and organised at this point, breaking occasionally for a foray into the Baggies' half with Henderson and Jobi McAnuff causing trouble for Kiely. At the back, Dan Shittu was a man mountain, sweeping up the Baggies attacks as Watford attempted to quell their attacking prowess by any means possible.
Jonathan Greening tried to break open the Watford defence by trying an audacious shot from the edge of the box that took a deflection as it flew over the bar. But it wasn't as audacious as Neil Clement's shot from just inside the West Brom half. It had the speed, but not the accuracy necessary to make it as a late contender into the goal of the season nominations.
McAnuff was certainly making a nuisance of himself up front, linking up well with Henderson at every opportunity. At one point, the winger put through an exquisite ball for the striker, but he just couldn't connect to double the scoreline.
Watford were giving away some dangerous free kicks on the edge of their area, and on one such occasion, Phillips blazed an effort over the bar. Shittu then had to be at his very best to deny Ishmael Miller when he was clean through. The burly striker was bearing down on goal, but Shittu came to the rescue with a last ditch tackle to rob him of possession.
At the other end, Shittu was also on fire. His header from McAnuff's free kick had to be batted away from Kiely before Bromby attempted to claim his brace by firing over the bar. It really was end to end stuff.
Then, with the injury time board flashing up two minutes, Clement stood over a Baggie's free kick 30 yards out and fired a venomous shot thundering against the crossbar. It was a late let off for Watford.
Similarly to the beginning of the second half at the Valley a couple of months back, Boothroyd staged an impromptu team talk on the pitch after the teams had re-entered the field.
But it was West Brom who struck first in a similar fashion to how Watford began the first half. With the second half just four minutes old Zoltan Gera whipped in the free kick from the edge of the box and Leon Barnett darted in at the back stick to level the game.
Phillips had the chance to put the Baggies ahead moments later, but Richard Lee held his header.
West Brom were looking to attack at every opportunity and Watford were having to sit deep for a period of heavy pressure before picking and choosing their moments to break.
Miller then found himself in space in the box and cheekily tried to chip the onrushing Lee. The Watford stopper someone threw himself at the ball, managed to deflect it into the path of Phillips and then had to throw himself at his feet when he then attempted to go for goal.
Boothroyd bolstered his defence in the wake of that scare by swapping Priskin for Aidy Mariappa. The youngster slotted into the centre of midfield as Watford switched to a 4-5-1 formation.
Phillips then found himself with only Lee to beat, but for some reason, decided to try and head past the 'keeper on the edge of the box, but Lee was once again able to hold the ball to deny the Baggies.
Gera tried to claim all three points with five minutes to go when he struck a shot from outside the area, only to watch it fly past the far post.
Having weathered the storm, Boothroyd then threw caution to the wind and sent on Steve Kabba and former Baggie Nathan Ellington, but neither could score the all-important winner before the whistle blew for time.
A great game for the neutral, but a nail biting, pressure filled, tense-fest for anyone involved with either of the teams.
WEST BROM: Kiely; Robinson, Clement, Barnett, Hoefkens; Morrison (Brunt 68), Koren, Greening (c), Gera; Miller (Bednar 73), Phillips. Subs not used: Kim, Moore, Pele.
WATFORD: Lee; Stewart, Shittu, Bromby, Doyley; Smith, O'Toole (Ellington 86), Eustace (c), McAnuff (Kabba 86); Henderson, Priskin (Mariappa 66). Subs not used: Poom, Sadler.
BOOKINGS: WBA; Koren (unsporting behaviour 25), Miller (unsporting behaviour 29), Hoefkens (unsporting behaviour 37). WATFORD; Eustace (unsporting behaviour 43).
SENDINGS OFF: WBA; none. WATFORD; none.
GOALS: WBA; Barnett (49). WATFORD; Bromby (6)
REFEREE: M Dean.
ATTENDANCE: 26,508 (1,601 Watford supporters).
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