Orestis Karnezis says he never doubted his ability, despite making a shaky start to life in the Watford goal.

The Greek keeper endured a nightmare debut, coming from the bench to concede three times as Watford surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Everton in December.

Almost his first action in English football was to race from his goal line and gift the Toffees their first in that loss and it looked as though his big chance to impress had gone begging.

However, a back injury to Watford’s regular number one Heurelho Gomes opened the door once more last month and allowed the 32-year-old another opportunity.

It is fair to say he has grasped it and a string of solid displays have followed to the surprise of many, but not, it seems, Karnezis himself.

“I never doubt myself,” he told the Watford website. “I know who I am, I know what I can do and I believe in my skills.

“In football, things are not always good, you can’t always win and you can’t always be happy. You must work hard for many days, for many weeks, just to receive one moment of glory.”

The ability to move on from a setback is a prerequisite for any elite level sportsman and Karnezis deserves credit for putting his horror start to life in a Watford shirt behind him.

He has had to adjust quickly to the unique demands of English football and Karnezis says a wealth of precious experience has allowed him to cope.

“It is not easy [for a goalkeeper],” he said. “It’s the worst position because if you don’t play many games in a row, it is not easy to get inside the match and be 100 per cent ready. You are cold, one bad decision you will pay.

“The position of goalkeeper here is a little bit different from the other countries. Here a goalkeeper must play a lot off their line to help the defenders with some vertical passes.

“In every game we lose or we don’t get points, I am disappointed but you must be strong because life is not finished after one game.

“I am 32, played more than 200 games in a high level and I know how to react, how to feel and how to get out of bad moments.”