Malky Mackay was disappointed with the two “sloppy goals” Wigan Athletic conceded in their 2-1 defeat at Watford, but said he couldn’t be too hard on his players because of their overall performance.

The former Watford boss has yet to secure a Championship victory since taking over at the Latics, but his side looked set to secure at least a point after Chris McCann cancelled out Troy Deeney’s opener. However, the Hornets skipper ensured the problems continued for Wigan after netting the winner with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Mackay said: “I was happy with the way we started, we settled into the game really well. Then we lost a sloppy goal and I think Watford took the momentum back for maybe ten to 15 minutes. But in the last 15 minutes of the first half, I thought we took it back again, were pretty dominant and the goal just before half-time was worthy and 1-1 at half-time was probably the right result.

“Second half I was really happy with the way we played and at 70 minutes I probably wasn’t happy with a point because I thought we had put them on the back foot and had caused enough problems to be around about their goal. So to lose a sloppy goal, like we did in the second half, is disappointing but I can’t be too hard on them because of the overall way they played today.”

Mackay signed Deeney from Walsall in 2010 and the Wigan boss added: “Troy’s a top centre forward and he’s probably the best in the division, he’s lethal. But it was the only thing Scott Carson had to do in the second half.

Watford Observer:

“After the goal, I’d rather be beaten 3-1 than 2-1 so we had to go for it and that’s why the game opened up. But up to 70 minutes I was disappointed with a point because, I thought, in the second half we made them start to make mistakes in their own half and we start attacking them in their final third quite a lot.”