Stephy Mavididi's first goal for Watford earned head coach Alessio Dionisi crucial breathing space with a gritty 1-0 win over toothless Lincoln at Vicarage Road.

On-loan winger Mavididi's deflected strike less than a minute into the second half was only the Hornets' second win in eight games and just their second clean sheet since March.

Lincoln, who slipped to a fifth defeat in seven games, did not buckle but they rarely tested home keeper Federico Ravaglia.

On the night when they christened the Graham Taylor Cup, which will be contested every time Watford and Lincoln meet competitively in memory of the former England manager, who led both clubs to the Fourth Division title in the 1970s, the quality was poor.

This was the teams' first League meeting since Luther Blissett's goals settled a 2-0 Watford win on a snowbound pitch in 1979, and for 45 minutes a turgid battle was like pushing a snowman uphill.

Lincoln, with joint head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw both banned from the dugout after picking up three yellow cards, were solid but offered little incision apart from Chiedozie Ogbene's wayward effort from distance.

And the Hornets made little headway through a congested midfield, although Mavididi's shot was blocked after a jinking run and fellow DR Congo international Edo Kayembe fired just wide from 25 yards.

But just 38 seconds after the restart, Mavididi cut in off the left flank and whipped a curling shot towards the far corner to break the impasse.

Imps goalkeeper George Wickens might have had it covered, but a slight deflection off skipper Sonny Bradley gave him little chance.

To no avail, Lincoln protested bitterly to referee James Bell that the throw-in leading to Mavididi's goal was awarded the wrong way after it had been quickly taken.

The Imps were close to an equaliser just before the hour as Deji Elerewe header clipped the bar, but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

Watford moved four points clear of the drop zone but ever-present midfielder Hector Kyprianou's fifth booking of the term will leave under-pressure Dionisi short of midfield options when the Cyprus international serves a one-match ban.

Although criticism of owner Gino Pozzo and executive chairman Scott Duxbury has been gathering momentum on social media, a planned protest against Watford's leadership at an appointed hour outside the ground before kick-off attracted just 11 people.

The managers

Watford's Alessio Dionisi:

"I've spoken to Steph over the past few weeks. That's normal when a player hasn't been playing and is not happy.

"Now I'm happy for him - Stephy was unhappy that he wasn't getting enough minutes - like every player, he wants to play.

"It's not easy for Steph when we change shape. It's hard for him to play wing back, but now we've won and he scored the only goal, and he'll be happy.

"I'm happy for my players, the fans and my club. This was only one match but it was important.

"The win was important because in our next match we play at home to a big team in Middlesbrough. It is better to prepare when we have won and I believe in my players."

Lincoln's Tom Shaw:

"We're gutted and feel a little bit hard done-by. The players' effort and endeavours were incredible - this is a massive football club full of internationals and the result has been defined by a big error from the referee.

"It's a real tough one to take because it was our throw-in - people can get that wrong, I get that - but it's been taken before it was awarded either way.

"We can't complain about switching off because no-one knows which way it was going. It was a disaster for us to lose a game on those grounds, a big mistake has cost us what would have been a massive point.

"Chris and I have had words with the fourth official in previous games and that's why we've ended up in the stands tonight, but we can't fault the players' effort and commitment.

"Yes, we could have been a bit better around the box but the performance was full of heart and desire and we deserved a point."