Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes says his team-mates cannot keep their heads down too long following last night's 2-0 reverse at Stoke.

The Hornets fell to a seventh defeat from 10 in Staffordshire and what their performance lacked in quality, it made up for in effort despite an ever-growing injury list for head coach Walter Mazzarri.

That said, two poor goals were enough to give the hosts victory, with lax marking from a pair of Charlie Adam crosses either side of half-time allowing Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch time to score.

Gomes said: "We are sad because I believe we are not in a good run. We must pick ourselves up and go again.

"We keep pushing ourselves and must be positive. We can't stay with our heads down for too long."

Gomes felt the timing of the opening goal - coming only seconds before the half-time interval from a corner - had been particularly detrimental to the Hornets' chances of getting anything from the Bet365 Stadium.

He said: "If we had gone in 0-0 at half-time the second half would have been different. The last corner was a tough moment for us.

"Before the first goal we were in the game, the Stoke supporters could feel that. Conceding two goals either side of half-time is disappointing.

"We need to continue to give our best on the pitch. We have a very talented squad but we don't have everyone available.

"Confidence isn't an issue. The supporters keep pushing us and supporting us. We all need to stick together."