LONDON (AFP) - Bristol City manager Gary Johnson hopes his side's worst performance of the season will help them refocus as the Championship promotion race approaches the final straight.

Johnson's team could have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the English Championship with a win at Southampton on Saturday.

Instead goals from Stern John and Jason Euell condemned City to a 2-0 defeat that left them only a point ahead of Stoke, who play Crystal Palace on Monday.

"Southampton were a better team than us and we hold our hands up," Johnson said. "It was probably our poorest performance of the season and we are honest enough to admit that. But we are where we are because we are an honest bunch.

"If anything that game will keep our feet on the ground. There will be no talk of the next level at this club."

John opened the scoring in the 35th minute when Bradley Wright-Phillips headed across to the Trinidad striker, who lashed it into the roof of the net for his 17th goal of the season.

Southampton were desperate for the points themselves at the other end of the table and Euell lifted Nigel Pearson's team out of the bottom three in the 84th minute.

Wright-Phillips was the provider again as his header was pushed out by City keeper Adriano Basso and Euell poked home from close range.

Watford, in fourth spot, closed to within a point of the two automatic promotion places with a 2-1 win over Coventry at Vicarage Road. But boss Adrian Boothroyd warned his side they still have to improve.

"For me, it was important that we did get the win and I said to the players at the end 'well done on the win, but we all know that's not good enough for us, for what we've come to expect'," Boothroyd said.

"But it's a very strange game where you can play really well for a run of games and end up drawing and then you don't play particularly well for the whole of the 90 and you end up with a win."

Boothroyd's team were without a win in eight games but got off to the perfect start when Nathan Ellington advanced towards the Coventry penalty area before driving a powerful shot past Kasper Schmeichel.

Coventry hit back through Leon Best in the 59th minute, the striker heading home Julian Gray's cross.

Watford stole the points with 11 minutes remaining as Stephen Hughes misjudged Richard Lee's long kick and Tommy Smith seized on the mistake to slip the ball through Schmeichel's legs.

Charlton dented Plymouth's play-off bid and kept alive their own faint hopes of a top-six finish with a 2-1 win at Home Park.

Alan Pardew's team looked dead and buried when Jermaine Easter scored on the hour after goalkeeper Nicky Weaver's second minute dismissal for deliberate handball.

But Leroy Lita, on loan from Reading, sparked a stunning revival with a headed equaliser five minutes later. It got even better for Charlton as Lita grabbed his second after linking with strike partner Chris Iwelumo.

Sheffield United striker James Beattie scored a hat-trick in seven first-half minutes at Bramall Lane to set-up a 3-0 win over Leicester.

Scott Vernon grabbed a double as Colchester beat Ipswich 2-0 at Layer Road to slow their local rivals' play-off challenge.

Elsewhere, Norwich defeated Burnley 2-0, Sheffield Wednesday drew 1-1 at fellow strugglers Scunthorpe and QPR scored twice in the last minute to draw 2-2 against Preston.