Watford manager Giuseppe Sannino is playing down his side's play-off hopes after a narrow 1-0 home win against Birmingham set them up for a potential late promotion push.

The victory moved the Hornets up to 13th, just nine points behind sixth-placed Reading with a game in hand.

But despite Watford's recent upturn in form which has seen them claim seven points in their last three games, Sannino insists he is only taking each game as it comes.

"I don't watch the table at the moment, what I am watching is match after match," the Italian said.

"On Saturday we have another match which is very important. From tomorrow we have to start to think about Middlesbrough. Today's game already belongs to the past.

"Since I joined the club we haven't had a day off. It is train and the game, train and then game. We have forgotten to have a day off and therefore it can be difficult to carry on."

Troy Deeney's 33rd minute goal gave the home side all three points.

However, they had to survive a late scare when Will Packwood's header from a long Darren Rudolph free-kick whistled just wide of Manuel Almunia's post.

It was Birmingham's best chance of a second-half which, according to boss Lee Clark, was better than the first 45 minutes.

He said: "We deserved something from the game without a shadow of a doubt.

Our second-half performance was very, very good but in the first half I had too many regrets; we didn't put them under enough pressure.

"Overall, we played too much tippy-tappy football at the back and did not get the ball forward enough in Watford's half."

Clark, whose side sit nine points above the relegation zone in 18th, was critical of his side's defending for Deeney's winner.

The Watford striker had miskicked after being set up by Fernando Forestieri but, afforded the time to have another go, his second effort deflected past Randolph.

"I'm frustrated that we've lost a game to such a poor goal because we should have got a block on the shot," the 41-year-old added.

"You've got to be prepared to get hurt to stop the ball from going in your goal and we just did not show enough desire to stop it."