Watford's Under-23s were beaten 4-2 at Vicarage Road by Bristol City U23s in a Professional Development League 2 match on Monday afternoon.

Assistant academy head coach Richard Shaw took charge for the match with Omer Riza on international duty with England Under-17s.

Ayman Benarous bagged a hat-trick, alongside Sam Pearson's solitary strike that meant goals from Jimiel Chikukwa and Ryan Cassidy either side of half time were ultimately of little consequence.

After the match, Shaw spoke of his frustration and said his side were "sloppy"

“The word frustration comes to mind to be honest,” he told the club website.

“I thought we showed some really good stuff. I’m not one to complain too much but I thought we gifted all four goals and I think we could’ve done better. Sloppy back passes getting caught in possession in the final third, so that was disappointing.

“I enjoyed the two goals we did score, especially the second one. I thought it was a very good move. We had chances to go 3-1 up which we didn’t take. With the group at the moment, it’s just their mindset staying engaged and staying strong.”