Report: Cardiff City 1-1 Watford

• Hornets take a point home from Cardiff
• Ashford breaks the deadlock for the hosts midway through the second half
• Bayo heads in Baah's cross with 87 minutes played
• Watford up to eighth in the table

A late Vakoun Bayo equaliser clinched a point from a tight encounter in South Wales.

Cian Ashford’s second-half strike appeared to have condemned Watford to a fourth successive defeat in the Sky Bet Championship.

Bayo popped up with an 87th-minute header though – his 10th goal of the season – to equalise following good work out wide by Kwadwo Baah.

Tom Cleverley opted for eight changes to the team that started at Fulham in the FA Cup, with Jonathan Bond, Ryan Porteous and Yasser Larouci the only survivors from Craven Cottage.

In for his first league outing since October with Daniel Bachmann injured, Bond was the busier of the two keepers early on, tipping a curling Chris Willock shot wide before making a more routine save from Calum Chambers.

In truth, it was a first half lacking any meaningful action in either penalty area. Giorgi Chakvetadze found Larouci in a promising position out wide but the wing-back skied his cross over the bar.

Imrân Louza failed to make a good connection when meeting Chakvetadze’s pass in a central position, and in stoppage time Baah’s volley looped out for a throw, with the attacker’s claims it went out via a Cardiff boot falling on deaf ears.

That was as good as it got in the opening 45, and it took until nearly the hour-mark before the second half’s first sight of goal.

Alex Robertson swung over a corner from Cardiff’s left which Bond was unable to deal with, the Hornets needing Francisco Sierralta to head off the line under pressure from the Bluebirds’ attack.

That seemed to spark the hosts into life, with a succession of chances falling their way. Rubin Colwill sent a low drive narrowly wide before Perry Ng saw a close-range effort deflect off-target.

Dimitrios Goutas then headed wide following a Cardiff corner, and the Welsh outfit’s pressure was soon to pay off.

Chambers slipped in 20-year-old Ashford, who fired past Bond from inside the box to hand the hosts a 65th-minute lead.

Initially, the Bluebirds continued to look the more threatening but after a handful of substitutions, the Hornets grew into the game and eventually found a way through with three minutes remaining.

Edo Kayembe – one of those reinforcements – was rewarded for his persistence out wide, winning possession and allowing Baah to cross from the right-hand side. Bayo leapt highest to head in the equaliser in front of the travelling Hornets fans.

Now it was Cleverley’s men who looked the most likely winners, and they came within an inch of doing so in the fifth and final minute of time added on.

Vata let rip from a similar position to his stunning strike at Fulham last week and it needed a Jak Alnwick save to divert it agonisingly past the post.

In the end, it was a point gained for the Golden Boys, who travel to Derby County next up this Saturday.

Watford: Bond (GK); Porteous (Vata 60), Sierralta, Pollock; Ngakia, Sissoko (C) (Kayembe 69), Louza, Larouci (Ebosele 83); Chakvetadze, Baah; Bayo.

Unused subs: Roberts (GK), Andrews, Ogbonna, Dele-Bashiru, Ince, Doumbia.