5:42pm Monday 8th March 2010
By Frank Smith
Malky Mackay claims Watford need to be more clinical and start games better after watching his side extend their winless run away from home to 12 matches.
The Hornets have not tasted victory on the road since mid-October, spanning 11 league games and one FA Cup tie - the latest coming at the hands of Derby County on Saturday.
“I am very disappointed,” Mackay said.
“I don’t think we started the way we should of today [Saturday]. We didn’t start until after half time, when we then showed we could cause problems and create chances.
“We created two golden opportunities in the second half that we have to take. But we have to start like that.”
Watford improved in the second 45 minutes and both Danny Graham and Henri Lansbury should have scored for the visitors.
Mackay said: “I think if you look at the second half and actual chances then the one where there was a short back pass and the goalkeeper was running back to an empty net, our guy [Lansbury] should have lifted that over him into the empty net. That is a great chance.
“Five minutes to go, a diagonal comes in and Danny Graham is a couple of yards out and should really take that early and put it into the net.
“Chances like that have to be taken, you have to be clinical.
“At the other end I look at the chances Derby had. I take the 25-yard strike [by Michael Tonge], absolutely, it was fantastic. The second one we were pressing and our defender [Jay DeMerit] stumbled and it was a good finish again [by Chris Porter] but that is a mistake.
“Overall as the 90 minutes is concerned we could have been worthy of something today.”
Mackay conceded Watford were not good enough against Derby but is sure his side will end their poor away run in the near future.
“It is [a poor record] but it is something you work on every day in training,” Mackay said.
“I think you have to look at the performances and the individual games and you break it down in terms of where did it go wrong on that day and where did it go wrong today and you have to be honest with yourself when you don't deserve anything and when you do.
“You hope the breaks come for you as well but it is all about working hard.”
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