Troy Deeney was all smiles after scoring his first Premier League double and deservedly so. The Hornets skipper was superb in Watford’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace yesterday. What a difference a week makes.

Seven days earlier Deeney found himself on the substitutes’ bench for the Hornets’ game with Tottenham Hotspur.

If you’ve met Deeney one of the first things you’ll realise is he is fiercely determined. So of course he wasn’t pleased to find himself out of the starting XI at Spurs.

“I was annoyed,” the striker admitted. “I am a footballer and it’s my job to play. I was annoyed for about ten minutes when I was told but then it was back to being captain and supporting the lads.

“I obviously came on at half time (against Spurs) but I wasn’t happy. I am not going to say ‘yeah it was great sitting on the bench’.”

Deeney continued: “The gaffer pulled me aside before the game to tell me I wasn’t starting.

"He showed me respect by doing it before the other lads came in. He doesn’t have to do that but it is a mark of the manager we have.

“Don’t forget, just because I am captain it doesn’t mean I have to play. If I play **** I am not going to play am I? It’s as simple as that.

“So if my level of performance had dropped or the gaffer thinks I am tired it’s his decision and he has every right to do that.

"Just because I am Troy Deeney it doesn’t mean I will start in the Watford team. I have always got to work for it.”

Deeney, by his own admission, trained with “a little more aggression” this week as he looked to ensure he started at Selhurst Park.

Flores restored his skipper to the starting XI and was more than rewarded. Deeney won and then converted a first half penalty before his late second half strike helped the Hornets clinch victory.

“He looks like a tactical genius now because he dropped me but I’ve come back in and scored two,” Deeney joked.

The win moved Watford back into eighth in the Premier League table. The Hornets weren’t at their fluent best against the Eagles but they found a way to take home all three points.

Deeney rightly earned the plaudits but the skipper was quick to praise one of his teammates when speaking to the media after the game.

“I thought Valon Behrami was excellent today,” Deeney said.

“If you look at the Tottenham game, and hindsight is a wonderful thing, that energy and little bit of nastiness was missed. When he is out of the team that is hard to replace.”

Behrami was the victim of Pape Souare’s shocking late challenge which saw the Palace defender earn a straight red card.

Deeney said: “You know it’s a red card when their lads are saying ‘what are you doing?’ It wasn’t mean, he was stretching to win the ball and Valon has got in front of him.

“Luckily for us Valon’s leg wasn’t planted. If it was that could’ve been nasty. But it’s been a good day and another hard earned away victory.

"Both sets of fans too deserve credit because I thought it was a great atmosphere.”

While Watford are not yet mathematically safe their victory at Selhurst Park was a huge step towards ensuring the Hornets will be playing Premier League football next season.

Deeney believes 42 points will be enough to guarantee safety. Until that target is reached he will take nothing for granted.

He said: “I am not going to talk nonsense and say we don’t look up the table but we do look at it game to game. When we lost three days on the spin we were saying the same thing.

“We’ve got 36 points by the middle of February. We’ll take that. We are arguably two wins away from being safe.

"People are saying 42 should be enough this season so that’s got to be the target. If we get there we will reassess.”