WHAT would Aidy Boothroyd like for his birthday?
Ridding Ipswich of their unbeaten home record? Check! Three points? Check! And to sit at the top of the Championship table once more? Check, check, check!
A resolute and spirited Watford side went to Portman Road knowing that records are there to be broken. They then left Suffolk having smashed Ipswich's to pieces.
Tommy Smith seems to have the scoring touch of late and his first half header put the Hornets ahead on 33 minutes.
It just goes to show how tight it is at the top when with that one solitary goal, Watford jumped from fourth to top of the league thanks to West Bromwich Albion losing against Barnsley.
Nathan Ellington doubled the lead in the second half to shock Ipswich who must have forgotten what it felt like to lose at home, having gone the entire season so far undefeated at Portman Road.
There was a tense ending when Jonathan Walters stabbed the ball past Richard Lee, but it wasn't enough to deny the Hornets a well deserved win.
Aidy Boothroyd dabbled with a sample of old and new as he welcomed back Dan Shittu from the Africa Cup of Nations and also kept in all of his new acquisitions.
Mat Sadler, Leigh Bromby and John Eustace all featured and there was a rare start for Lionel Ainsworth on the wing.
And it seemed to be working. Watford were putting together some slick passing moves from back to front, making the most of both the wings and the centre of the park.
But it was Ipswich who mustered the first effort on goal 13 minutes in when Alan Quinn sent in a free kick from the left wing for Alex Bruce to head goalwards. With Richard Lee already committed, it was down to Dan Shittu to hook the ball clear before it crossed the goal line.
Nathan Ellington certainly had the bit between his teeth as his surging run saw him get the better of at least four Ipswich men before he was hauled to the ground. Despite his protests, Andy D'Urso waved play on.
Leigh Bromby then showed exactly why Watford had spent £600,000 on purchasing him when he came to the rescue to cut out a pressing Ipswich attack. As the ball was played across the box and blue shirts seemed to be closing in all around him, the former Blade swooped in and cleared at the vital moment.
Ainsworth was proving to be a livewire down the left channel, as try as they might, there wasn't any way that the Tractor boys were going to catch him.
Just as it looked as though the home and away day specialists were going to cancel each other out with chances at a premium, the Hornets hit the back of the net.
Sadler's corner was met in the middle of the box by the rising Tommy Smith, who headed past Stephen Bywater to capture his fifth goal of the season and his second against Ipswich this term.
Watford's back line meanwhile were proving to be immense. Shittu showed no signs of an international hangover and the new arrivals of Sadler and Bromby were looking cool, calm and composed.
In first half injury time, Jonathan Walters attempted a long range effort, but failed to bother Lee in the Watford goal. Following that, the Watford skipper had to be alert to Walters' strike and parried clear to retain Watford's lead going into the break.
Watford came straight out of the traps in the second half, Ellington hitting the side netting within the first minute.
There was a hearts in the mouth moment seconds later when Alan Lee benefited from a great bit of vision, spotting Richard Lee off his line and attempting to lob him from the wing.
As Lee began to backtrack, Portman Road was already on its feet cheering, the Watford heads were hung low, but soon had to perk up when the ball kissed the crossbar and cannoned back into play.
Clearly Boothroyd sensed that Ipswich were realising their home form was vulnerable and replaced the attacking Ainsworth with the more defensive Jordan Stewart.
Not that Stewart's defensive qualities were the deciding factor in how this game ultimately went, because it was the effervescent Brummie who set up the Hornets all-important second goal of the afternoon.
After breaking into space on the left edge of the Town penalty area, the former Leicester winger squared the ball for the on-rushing Henderson who looked odds-on to score.
One air shot later from the big centre-forward and Watford fans could have been forgiven for looking to the heavens, but thank goodness for Ellington who was far more accurate with his controlled drive past Bywater.
It was the striker's third goal in four matches and it simply stunned the home fans who haven't seen a defeat at Portman Road since Southend won 2-0 in March 2007.
Town manager Jim Magilton responded with a double change as Velice Sumulikoski and Danny Haynes were introduced in a bid to get them back into the reckoning.
Ellington was again in his pomp in the second half and almost had his brace 67 minutes into the game when he hung in the air before smashing a pile-driver of a header towards Bywater, who saved well to his right.
With 20 minutes to go Ipswich got themselves a foothold in this game when the Hornets were unable to deal with a routine David Wright free-kick, after Bangura's poor challenge in the middle of the field gifted them the set-play.
Jonathan Walters superbly timed run into the box saw him beat Lee to the ball at the far post and stab it past the despairing 'keeper to raise the tension levels.
Walters was testing the Watford defence to the maximum when once again, it looked as though a cross from the right channel would end up in the back of the net. From a narrow angle, the ball dipped past the face of goal and bounced just wide of the far upright.
There were a tense four minutes of injury time to play out before Watford could maintain their stunning away day record and condemn Ipswich to losing their unblemished home record in the process.
But Watford sat it out and gave Aidy Boothroyd one hell of a birthday present, the gift of sitting at the top of the Championship, looking down upon the chasing pack. Happy birthday Aidy!
IPSWICH (4-4-2): Bywater; Wright, Bruce, De Vos, Harding; Norris, Garvan (Sumulikoski 59), Miller (A. Lee 46), Quinn; Counago (Haynes 59), Walters. Subs not used: Colgan (gk), Naylor.
WATFORD (4-4-2): R. Lee (c); Mariappa, Shittu, Bromby, Sadler; Smith (Kabba 82), Bangura, Eustace, Ainsworth (Stewart 54); Ellington (O'Toole 77), Henderson. Subs not used: Poom (gk), Doyley.
BOOKINGS: IPSWICH; none. WATFORD; Eustace (deliberate handball, 42), Henderson (unsporting conduct, 51), Bangura (unsporting conduct, 69), Bromby (time wasting, 72).
SENDINGS OFF: IPSWICH; none. WATFORD; none.
GOALS: IPSWICH; Walters (70). WATFORD; Smith (33), Ellington (56).
REFEREE: A D'Urso
ATTENDANCE: 24,227 (TBC Watford supporters)
