Kelvin Abrefa ensured he made his impact felt by scoring in Reading’s FA Cup third-round tie with Watford before Shane Long’s stoppage time goal sealed the tie.
With both teams making plenty of changes, it was the Royals who progressed to the next round with a comfortable win.
The 19-year-old netted his first senior goal for the club after his cross flew into the top corner in first-half stoppage time.
The young Hornets team couldn’t find a goal to take the game to a replay as Reading confirmed their name in the hat for Monday’s fourth round draw with a goal late in the day through Shane Long to seal the tie.
There were plenty of changes for both sides as Paul Ince made wholesale changes from the defeat at West Brom.
Sam Hutchinson returned to captain the side, while Femi Azeez was handed a start up top alongside Lucas Joao and Shane Long.
Despite suggesting that former captain Liam Moore would be in line to make his return to the first-team for the first time in eight months, there was no place for him in the matchday squad after he picked up a hamstring injury in training.
Slaven Bilic’s side are in the midst of an injury crisis with 15 players out on the sidelines which saw them name plenty of youth in their line-up.
It was an uneventful opening 45 minutes despite Reading enjoying the majority of possession, they were unable to create too many opportunities.
Kelvin Abrefa looked to make an impact getting forward on the right and fizzed in an early cross that was hacked away.
Azeez was the first player to have a clear sight of goal and blazed a powerful shot over the top that didn’t trouble Maduka Okoye.
The Hornets grew into the game and ventured forward that drew Sam Hutchinson into a mistake after a loose touch and he brought down his opponent to receive the first booking of the match.
Looking to find his first goal of the season, Azeez tried his luck again with a snapshot that looked to creeping inside the near post before it was pushed behind for a corner.
From the resulting corner, Scott Dann went close when his header at the back post looped over the top.
Lucas Joao had a clear opening to putreading in front when Okoye only parried as far as the strike, but after running onto the loose ball, Joao dragged his effort disappointingly wide.
The Royals thought they had grabbed the lead when Azeez had the ball in the net after he thumped it into the roof from close range from Abrefa’s cross, only to be denied by the linesman’s offside flag.
Just before half-time, Reading did go in front when Abrefa’s whipped cross eluded the goalkeeper who could only helplessly flap at the ball which drifted into the top corner.
Ince made a change going into the second-half which saw Mamadou Loum replace Hutchinson, while former Royal Leaondro Bacuna was subbed on for the visitors.
Bilic’s team had an appeal for a penalty quickly after the restart when Amadou Mbengue challenged Joseph Hungbo in the box, but the referee was not interested in awarding a spot kick.
There were more injury woes for Watford when Bacuna, who had only been subbed only five minutes earlier, had to be withdrawn.
The hosts looked to extend their advantage when Loum found space on the right hand side of the box, but his drive at goal was blocked behind.
Mbengue was next to go in the book when he recklessly flew into a tackle which was mistimed.
With 20 minutes to play, Andy Carroll entered the tie to take the place of Azeez.
Watford’s best chance to grab a leveller came when Yaser Asprilla was fed through on goal, he opted to find the bottom corner but Dean Bouzanis was equal to his shot to make a relatively comfortable save.
Another Reading change saw Joao replaced by Michael Craig before Nesta Guiness-Walker took the place of Baba Rahman for the final five minutes of action.
Reading executed a clinical counter attack when McIntyre found Long on the run with an excellent through ball and the Irishman sprinted into the box before calmly passing the ball into the bottom corner.
Ince’s side host Queens Park Rangers when Championship action resumes next weekend.
Reading: Bouzanis, Abrefa, Mbengue, Dann, Sarr, Rahman, McIntyre, Hutchinson (c), Azeez, Joao, Long
Subs: Lumley, Guinness-Walker, Abbey, Holzman, Craig, Loum, Senga, Scott, Carroll
Watford: Okoye, Gaspar, Troost-Ekong, Kone, Asprilla, Sierralta, Pollock, Hungbo, Morris, Adu-Poku, Blake
Subs: Hamer, Bacuna, Amass, Grieves, Adeyemo, Andrews, Hunter
Goals: Abrefa 45+3, Long 90+3′
