The Watford boss has paid tribute to his players after they reached the halfway stage of the season in the play-off zone.

Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest moved the Hornets back into the top six and extended their fine form in the past two months to just one defeat in ten games.

Asked if he was pleased to be into the play-offs following the game, Gianfranco Zola responded: “I’m pleased because we are now halfway through the season and we are in a good position. If you consider at the beginning of the season we had a lot of doubts. But what pleases me the most is that through the work and the application of the players, those doubts became certainties or confirmations.

“So that really pleases me because at the beginning of the season it wasn’t easy. I have 32 players now around but I can only play 11 and that means leaving out 19.

“But nobody is complaining and everyone is training properly. So this is unbelievable and is totally down to the players.”