Watford head coach Tom Cleverley revealed how hard work paid off as his team won 2-0 at Derby.
Cleverley has concentrated on improving the defensive side of Watford’s game and was rewarded with a clean sheet at Pride Park.
Watford debutant James Abankwah was lucky not to get an early red card for a wild lunge on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and the visitors were celebrating when they went ahead in the fourth minute through Imran Louza.
Mendez-Laing, Kayden Jackson and Ebou Adams hit the woodwork for Derby before Edo Kayembe netted Watford’s second in the 66th minute, helping his side secure only a third away win of the campaign.
Cleverley said: “It’s sweet and doubly sweet that we managed to get a clean sheet. That’s been long awaited away from home.
“We’ve done a lot of work, the players have done a lot of work on getting more clean sheets and you have to work doubly hard when you go from a five to a four.
“I thought the wingers were selfless today with their work going backwards and still affected the game going forward and it was a real solid performance.
“They had a couple of chances but we could have been out of sight second half and it was a representation that the whole club is together, the players, the staff, the supporters.
“We’ve been dealt a few setbacks lately but we’ve come out swinging today and now we’re looking up again only one point off fifth.
“We showed an appetite to defend. The one thing that keeps us up at night is why are we not as resilient as we were? I think the first 14 games I was in charge we had eight clean sheets and I liked the balance of the team today.”
Derby head coach Paul Warne saw his side slip just one point above the relegation zone.
He said: “I thought we had a really good chance early on and if you go 1-0 up the place is alive but that’s not the case and they go up the other end and score.
“That’s probably the best summation of the game, they were more clinical than us and for the first 15 or 20 minutes they were the better side but I thought we finished the half well and hit the crossbar a couple of times.
“I think Watford deserved their victory, I’m not saying anything other, but I also think if we get the next goal we would have been back in it but unfortunately today it was elusive and that’s what I’ll remember the most from the game.”
