Coca-Cola Championship
Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium

Rob Hulse came off the bench to net the only goal of the game as Derby registered their first league win since mid-November with a 1-0 success over Watford.

The scoreline might have been a narrow one but in truth the Rams deserved their points after defending solidly for the most part and enjoying more time attacking than their hosts.

There were a couple of scares in the first half, notably when Stephen Bywater saved well from Jobi McAnuff and Tamas Priskin, but otherwise the forward momentum was mostly Derby's.

Nathan Ellington, Luke Varney, James Tomkins and Kris Commons all went close but Hulse's 83rd-minute header from a fine Nacer Barazite cross was the crucial moment.

Two big issues were to be settled due to the injury-enforced absence of Paul Connolly - and they were both cleared up when Paul Jewell revealed his line-up.

Martin Albrechtsen, previously a centre-half during his Rams career, moved across to right-back, while the captain's armband was handed to teenage midfielder Miles Addison.

Former Watford men Jordan Stewart and Nathan Ellington started against their old side, while the visitors were without ex-Derby favourites Mart Poom and Grzegorz Rasiak through injury.

They were, however, captained by Tommy Smith, the Rams' player of the year in 2005/06.

Receptions for those having moved from one team to the other were mixed with Smith warmly welcomed by the home faithful, Ellington considerably less so by the visitors.

Przemyslaw Kazmierczak provided the game's first shot after a scrappy opening eight minutes, though the Pole's low 35-yarder never looked as if it would cause Scott Loach any problems.

Addison, who had made a quietly effective start to his captaincy, then had the crowd anticipating a pile-driver but instead his clever cross was just headed away from Luke Varney on the edge of the six-yard box.

And the Rams were almost in front on 14 through James Tomkins, who rose to meet a Kazmierczak corner but saw his well-directed header cleared off the line by Leigh Bromby.

But it was Watford who produced the first serious save seconds later.

Stewart's clearance was sliced backwards and picked up by Tamas Priskin, whose lay-off found Jobi McAnuff on the edge of the box but Stephen Bywater was equal to the winger's placed low effort.

Another Stewart slip led to another McAnuff chance on 19, with Priskin again the creator, though this time the wide-man volleyed wildly wide of the target.

Kris Commons was beginning to enjoy himself down the left and another of his teasing crosses caused plenty of chaos inside the Watford area eight minutes later.

Loach did well to come out and block Varney's initial effort though the ball came out to Ellington, who screwed his rebound shot wide as he eyed a goal in front of the visiting fans.

At the other end Priskin looked set to break through on Smith's fine pass until Stewart made up for his earlier errors with a perfectly-timed challenge on the edge of the box.

However Derby failed to clear their lines properly and Bywater had to be at his sharpest to dive away to his left and turn away Priskin's curler.

Another Tomkins header was bundled away from in front of goal on 37, this time by Jon Harley, after another inviting corner from Kazmierczak, with the Rams looking to step up the pressure.

It continued five before the interval as Ellington released Varney but the former Crewe man couldn't keep his edge-of-the-box shot down.

But other than a Watford substitution, Will Hoskins replacing the injured Priskin, the first half rolled to a close without any items of note.

Both sides started the second period with spells of pressure and five minutes in came another sharp Loach save as he turned Ellington's powerful header over the bar.

From the resulting corner, Tomkins rose again but couldn't direct his effort on target.

And the Rams' first change of the afternoon arrived ten minutes after the restart with Nacer Barazite taking over from Gary Teale on the right.

The Dutch youngster's first action was a storming run down the wing that gave Watford plenty of food for thought and produced a flurry of corners that they ultimately managed to defend.

Then Commons took aim from fully 30 yards with a swerving low left-footer that dipped just past the post with Loach completely beaten.

And the Rams had a penalty claim rejected by referee Carl Boyeson just after the hour as Ellington went down inside the box under a challenge from substitute Jay DeMerit, before Rob Hulse was introduced in place of Varney.

Substitution number three arrived on 65 as Giles Barnes, feeling his way back in after a lengthy injury absence, took over in midfield from Kazmierczak.

But other than a couple of inviting Commons corners, well defended by the visitors, the game had entered a bit of a lull.

That was until the 77th minute when Watford broke and Hoskins turned inside the Derby box only to see his shot deflected wide, and from the corner McAnuff drove the ball back in where it bounced about before dropping just past the post from DeMerit's intervention.

And with seven remaining the deadlock was broken as two of the Rams' substitutes combined to open the scoring.

Barazite picked up the ball to the right of the penalty area and tricked his way past Harley before pulling back a perfect cross for Hulse to stoop and head home from close-range.

McAnuff twice threatened a quick response from the edge of the box but both times he couldn't find the target, though the second appeared to take a deflection that was missed by the match officials.

But after rescuing a late point at Charlton five days ago, there was no sting in the tail for the Rams as they saw out the final minutes to earn a deserved victory.

Derby: Bywater, Stewart, Kazmierczak (Barnes 65), Commons, Ellington, Varney (Hulse 61), Nyatanga, Teale (Barazite 55), Addison (C), Albrechtsen, Tomkins.

Substitutes: Price (GK), Zadkovich.

Watford: Loach, Bromby, Priskin (Hoskins 41), McAnuff, Doyley, Williamson, Harley, Smith (C), Mariappa (DeMerit 51), O'Toole (Bridcutt 70), Jenkins.

Substitutes: Lee (GK), Robinson.

Attendance: 27,833 (818 visiting fans).