Watford bowed out of the Premiership with a tight 1-1 draw against Newcastle United who played mechanically although Michael Owen was back in the fray.

Kieron Dyer opened the scoring for the Magpies on 30 minutes as he tapped in Norberto Solano's through ball. The game was marred by an injury to Owen who suffered concussion after colliding with Matthew Pattison just past the hour mark. He was stretchered off the field and it is another worrying sign in his injury-ridden career.

Watford got back on level terms through Marlon King from a penalty on 52 minutes. However both sides were listless and were unable to raise their game to Premiership standards. Players were dog tired and it showed. Lee Williamson almost snatched a win for Watford, but in the end it was a drab affair throughout.

Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd admitted his side were demotivated. "We've lots of soldiers, but not enough artists. We wanted to end with a bang, but didn't manage it."

Newcastle caretaker boss Nigel Pearson reassured fans Owen was fine. "He is in fantastic nick, and I have no qualms about him at all. He will have a headache tonight, but he will be fine," he added.