Quique Sanchez Flores ultimately got the send-off he deserved from Watford fans on Sunday.

It was one of the best atmospheres of the season at Vicarage Road and the Spaniard was sent off with a rousing rendition of ‘Quique Sanchez Flores’ by Watford supporters before, during and after the game.

It was important to show our appreciation to a man who has guided Watford to safety at a canter for the first time since the Premier League’s inception in 1992. He did so with charm and charisma and in the process, he and the players have proved all the pundits wrong who wrote us off at the start of the season.

Whilst I do agree with the decision to part ways with the 51-year-old, you can’t deny Flores has done the job we all hoped he would and a 13th-placed finish in the Premier League shouldn’t be taken for granted. We would have all taken that at the start of the season without a shadow of a doubt.

It’s hard not to be positive about this season, even if we are left to rue an inconsistent second half which has ultimately cost Flores his job and left some wondering what could have happened if Watford had continued the form they showed in the first half of 2015/16. The day would have been perfect if Watford had won their final game under the Spaniard and whilst it was a decent performance, the match against Sunderland showcased some of the troubles the Hornets have experienced during the second half of the season.

In defence, the Hornets were shaky and both of Sunderland’s goals were poor to give away.

For the past couple of months, Watford’s defence has lost the solidity that it had from the start of the season until March and both goals scored by Sunderland came as a result of poor defending. We’ve only kept one clean sheet in our last ten league games and some of those goals we’ve conceded have been avoidable.

Up front, whilst we did create a host of chances, we struggled to convert the promising opportunities that came our way. However, it was a much better performance in an attacking sense and I thought Almen Abdi had one of his best games of the season.

He looked more like the Abdi we’ve grown to love since he signed in 2012 and I still maintain that he needs to be played more centrally if we want to get the best out of him.

All in all, Sunday was a great opportunity to show Flores our appreciation and he got the send-off he richly deserved. This season has given me some memories that I shall remember for a long time, but now is the right time for Watford and Flores to part ways.

I wish him well in the future and am thankful for the job he did during his time at Vicarage Road.

However, now it’s time to look forward to the future. A section of supporters might be sceptical about Quique’s departure but if there’s anything I’ve learnt during these past few years, it is to trust the Pozzo family.

They’ve barely put a foot wrong during their time at Vicarage Road and they’ve showcased time and time again they know what they are doing. They’ve made big decisions before and have got them right and we as fans should have faith in them.

It’s time now to say a fond farewell to Quique and look forward to the next ride on the Pozzo rollercoaster.

Bradley Hayden is the founder and sole writer of @WatfordFCBlog