Watford 0, Albion 0

Albion do not want their first season in the Premier League to resemble their last-but-one in the Championship, a heartbreaking catalogue of 'if only' reflections.

That is the lingering worry about a result which Chris Hughton (below) would have bit off your hand for - and arm - before a ball had been kicked at Vicarage Road.

The Argus: He ended an eventful stalemate talking about two points dropped, a rarity at this exalted level away from home, especially for a promoted team.

So many moments and matches contributed to the agonising promotion near-miss in 2015-16 before Albion made handsome amends last season.

The target has shifted now from going up to staying up. It is in this context that celebrating the first point in the Premier League has to be tempered by the inescapable conclusion it should have been the first victory.

Every point will be precious in the bid to survive and the Seagulls have entered the opening international break above the bottom three with something to build on.

That is encouraging, as was the performance, but there will not be many realistic opportunities to win away from the Amex.

The Argus: The chance presented itself when Watford had Miguel Britos (above) sent-off for a hideous challenge on Anthony Knockaert with threequarters of the match remaining.

The Uruguayan's awful studs-up jump, which caught Knockaert on the knee and above the shin, left referee Graham Scott no choice other than to issue a red card and the Frenchman relieved that his first league start of the season after ankle ligament damage was not rudely abbreviated.

Britos has previous. Sent-off on his debut for Watford against Preston for elbowing, he was dismissed twice more last season.

Marco Silva switched Britos from the centre of defence to left-back to mark Knockaert after Jose Holebas saw red in the midweek Carabao Cup defeat by Bristol City.

Silva must have wished he had opted for youngster Brandon Mason. The experienced Britos let him down badly.

Knockaert's infectious urgency had the desired effect on Albion as an attacking threat. They were much more menacing than against Manchester City or Leicester, even before the exit of Britos.

Knockaert was booed throughout by Watford fans with long memories of a dive to earn a last-gasp penalty for Leicester in a dramatic play-off semi-final four years ago.

His penalty was saved and Troy Deeney scored at the other end a few seconds later to knock Leicester out.

The effervescent winger was unlucky not to ram the insults back down the throats of the home supporters. He curled a delightful effort against the far post early on, with the grateful Heurelho Gomes well beaten.

Knockaert should have been awarded a penalty in the second half for a high foot by Abdoulaye Doucoure that caught him on the nose. Scott deemed there was no contact and gave a indirect free-kick inside the box.

Knockaert also had an angled drive tipped behind at full-stretch before giving way to record buy Jose Izquierdo as Hughton tried to induce a breakthrough.

Hughton was hampered by a bench devoid of an out-and-out striker, with Glenn Murray sidelined by the double ankle knock he sustained at Leicester.

Tomer Hemed, probably playing his last match for the club amid strong transfer interest from the Championship, worked hard and hit the same post as Knockaert in the first half from a Solly March cross.

The circumstances of the match brutally exposed the forward shortage, which Albion will attempt to address with two signings before the window closes on Thursday evening.

They have been unfortunate so far, having lost out to Swansea for Tammy Abraham much earlier in the window and pulled the plug on Raphael Dwamena's £10 million move from FC Zurich on Friday when the Ghana international failed his medical due to a heart condition.

Sam Baldock has been sidelined as well by summer calf surgery. A pool of four strikers with different attributes is imperative in the Premier The Argus: League.

Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy (above) were colossal again at the heart of the back four but, as Middlesbrough discovered last season, a sound defence is not enough to finish outside the relegation zone.

Izquierdo was bright in his late cameo, fizzing a shot just wide of the upright and displaying the defensive discipline Hughton demands of his wingers by chasing back to tackle and halt a rare Watford raid.

The most disappointing aspect of a third blank sheet was not troubling Gomes enough in the second half, when Watford had their number ten Tom Cleverley at right-back in a makeshift defence.

Albion were also guilty of conceding too many cheap free-kicks after the break, offering Watford a set piece route to what would have been an improbable victory.

They are the 12th side to fail to score in their first three Premier League games. The other 11 avoided relegation. The business done between now and Thursday night will have a major bearing on whether that sequence continues.