Consistency means Watford relying less on the flip of a coin.

Following Saturday’s draw against Stoke, Tom Cleverley conceded that Watford had won games earlier in the season that they could have easily lost. While those victories put the Hornets into the play-offs, the consistency of performance they are now producing is more sustainable, and it increases the probability of additional merited victory. “It gives me a lot of positivity moving forward because when we were higher in the league earlier in the season each game was a little bit of a coin flip,” according to the head coach.

“We might have won or lost them, and we did win a lot of those coin flips. “At the minute we’re a little bit lower in the league but I feel that there’s a lot more longevity and sustainability in the way we’re playing to win a lot more games.” Watford has, however, failed to get results against opponents lower in the league position. “I struggle to call that a struggle today, because if we replicate that in other games we’ll have a lot more positive days than negative,” Cleverley explained. “We must address why our performances against bottom-half clubs are not as excellent as against top-half teams, and we will.

“But there’s not many negatives I can take from today.” The Watford manager acknowledged that as the clock approached 90, he feared being smacked by a late Stoke goal. “They are a team fighting for points and they have to do what they have to do in order to get them,” he told me. “I thought they were fairly sturdy and did well to limit our big opportunities, plus they have a terrific custodian. “They gave it a shot in the final ten minutes, and I’d probably do the same if I were in their form.

“Of course, I was nervous near the end since it was one of those moments where you may be caught off guard. “I was right behind the header, so there was always a little bit of anxiety. “On all the data they are the team that runs more than anyone else, so you always have a fear they will come strong.”

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