Wednesday posted their second win of the season on Saturday with goals from Marcus Tudgay and Tommy Spurr enough to see off a disappointing Watford at Hillsborough.

The Owls dominated the lion's share of the contest while the Hertfordshire side struggled to get out of first gear. As a result, the best chances fell to the hosts, who duly made Watford pay for producing a lacklustre display that belied their top-six status last season.

Brian Laws shuffled his pack following the first international break of the new campaign. With Mark Beevers out through injury, Spurr moved across to centre half and Peter Gilbert stepped in at left back. Deon Burton, having had a busy week with Jamaica on the international stage, dropped to the bench while Jermaine Johnson moved up front alongside Tudgay.

Wednesday were first to show on seven minutes when Etienne Esajas had a snapshot deflected wide but both sides struggled to make a true impression in the early exchanges.

Esajas threatened again for the Owls, taking on three Watford defenders before being upended on the edge of the penalty area but Tony McMahon squandered the resulting free kick.

The game sprang to life, though, on 22 minutes. McMahon's long throw caused panic in the Hornets' rearguard and Tudgay profited by scooping the ball home past Mart Poom with the aid of a deflection.

Johnson was looking lively for Wednesday and twice made dangerous advances on goal through the centre only to be denied by last-ditch defending.

Tudgay glanced a header wide from Sean McAllister's cross as the Owls continued to ask most of the questions. Ex-Owl Leigh Bromby then went into the book for a crude foul on Johnson and the same player sauntered upfield to flick a header past the post after finding space in the danger zone.

Steve Watson and Richard Wood also saw yellow before Williamson floated a free kick into the Kop right on half time.

The Hornets showed a little more zip after the break and Williamson should have done better when the Owls defence was caught napping from Jobi McAnuff's quickly taken corner. McAnuff then tested Grant with a fierce effort two yards inside the box but the Wednesday keeper saved comfortably low to his left.

But Watford's early second half promise was promptly undone by Spurr on 55 minutes. The Owls defender won possession in the shadows of the North Stand and advanced to play a smart one-two with Esajas before slotting calmly under the body of Poom and into the back of the net.

Esajas thumped an angled effort wide as Wednesday went in search of more success. Try as they might, the visitors struggled to create anything of note and almost conceded a third when Wood forced Poom into a sliding save with his legs from O'Connor's corner.

McAnuff mustered a rare shot that Grant marshalled wide with ten minutes to go before Bromby headed a clear far post chance wide that summed up the Hornets' below par performance on the day.

Owls: Grant, McMahon, Spurr, Wood, Gilbert, McAllister (Burton 76), O'Connor, Watson, Esajas (Small 85), Johnson (Clarke 85), Tudgay

Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, Smith

Watford: Poom, Bromby, DeMerit, Eustace, Harley, Doyley, Williamson, O'Toole (Hoskins 64), McAnuff (Ainsworth 82), Priskin, Smith

Unused substitutes: Loach, Bangura, Mariappa

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