George Santos' disastrous own goal gifted Watford victory against a Queens Park Rangers side whose goalscorer Marc Nygaard was sent off, while the upshot is that the Golden Boys will be away in the first leg of their play-off semi-final.
Rangers had seemed set to hang on for a point before Santos headed over keeper Paul Jones and into his own net, but in the end Watford's persistence on a sunlit West London afternoon finally won the day.
With one if not two eyes on more important upcoming fair, manager Aidy Boothroyd, already without suspended Marlon King, decided to rest captain, Gavin Mahon, and with Chris Eagles benched, starts were given to Al Bangura, James Chambers and Jordan Stewart, the latter in a more advanced left sided role as the trio were given an opportunity to exert pressure for places in the play-off matches.
A bright if feisty opening to a contest that meant nothing to the home side saw Watford controlling possession, and with Darius Henderson and Ashley Young looking especially lively it seemed only a matter of time before Rangers' fragile confidence was broken. 
Malky Mackay twice went close to scoring for Watford in the first half an hour. The defender headed Bangura's free-kick over and then fired wide at the far post from Stewart's 29th-minute corner, while another Stewart delivery struck the outside of keeper Paul Jones' post as the Hoops struggled to get into the game.
However, the visitors were to suffer a setback when Clarke Carlisle limped off in the 38th minute, and almost immediately, they conceded a penalty.
Gareth Ainsworth on the right picked out the skilful Lee Cook inside the penalty area and the former Golden Boy, who was continually berated throughout by visiting fans remembering his protracted departure from Vicarage Road, crumbled in a heap following the merest of contact by Lloyd Doyley. The challenge looked innocuous but a well positioned referee, Mr. D'Urso had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Nygaard sent goalkeeper Ben Foster the wrong way from 12 yards for his ninth goal of the season.
Undeservedly the Hertfordshire side was behind, but crucially as it turned out the Rangers marksmen was booked for tearing his shirt off in jubilation.
Worse almost followed for Watford when Paul Furlong latched on to a long ball and expertly lobbed Foster, but the ball bounced up onto the bar off the hard ground as the player and home fans alike began to celebrate what they thought was a goal.
Less than a minute later, Watford equalised out of nothing. Foster's kick was flicked on by Henderson and Young smashed the ball home past a despairing Jones in the home goal from fully 25 yards for his 14th goal of an excellent season for the Stevenage born front man.
Henderson then seemed fortunate to stay on the pitch after a challenge on Danny Shittu, with the Rangers players convinced there was the use of an elbow. But it was the home side who found themselves down to ten men following the resulting melee.
Nygaard paid the price for angrily shoving Henderson, who was shown a yellow card for the foul on Shittu, while the R's striker was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Boothroyd wisely chose to replace a clearly flustered Henderson at the break, which meant a first team debut was given to 17-year-old Theo Robinson.
The young academy player immediately became involved in the action and narrowly headed wide following a pin point cross by Anthony McNamee, who himself then saw a terrific left foot curler just fail to arrow into Jones' top right hand corner, nestling on top of the net instead of inside it.
In a rare home sortie Ainsworth almost put the hosts back in front with a fine volley that flew just over Foster's crossbar and Furlong went close with a header, but Watford with their extra man continued to pin the Rangers in their own half for long periods.
The visitor's were finally rewarded with 12 minutes remaining. A nothing delivery into the Rangers penalty area seem to be covered by Santos, but he inadvertently diverted the ball past a stranded Jones from an angle and both players could only watch in agony as it rolled into the net to signal uncontrolled frenzy amongst the visiting fans massed behind the goal.
Watford easily closed out the game thereafter and almost added a third, Bangura's fizzing shot only lacking direction as a diving Jones smothered.
So an eleventh away success of the league campaign for Watford guarantees home advantage for the second leg of the play-offs and the performance of Bangura in particular will have given his popular boss plenty to ponder in the coming week.
For beaten Rangers the immediate future looks less rosy.
The fans are becoming disgruntled and Mr. D'Urso's match report will almost certainly contain two incidents of beer bottles being hurled at Watford players in the second half, one just evading Stewart as he prepared to take a free-kick, and an after match planned appreciation of their player's efforts over the season passed with the ground almost empty.
Interim boss, Gary Waddock still has the backing of Gianni Paladini according to the Chairman's programme notes, but he has now presided over a run of ten winless games, and it remains to be seen whether he really is the man to transform the fortunes of the Loftus Road club in the long term.
Golden Boys man of the match: Ashley Young (Back to his best, led the line well especially in the second half and scored a cracking goal)