A number of changes to the starting line-up, and a different formation – Chris Wilder certainly tried to breathe life back into Watford’s faint play-off hopes at Coventry.

The head coach made five alterations of his own choosing, as well as having Ben Hamer making his debut for the suspended Daniel Bachmann.

There was a move away from three at the back, and Britt Assombalonga was given his first Watford start for 11 years and one day in a traditional number nine role.

“We wanted to freshen it up,” said Wilder.

“We had to try something or do something. We’ve coached all different types of shapes, and I knew this question would come.

“We worked hard and we did the fundamental aspects, and I’m certain the amount of distance we’ve covered will be as high as we’ve covered in the last two or three games.

“The first goal came off a Ryan Porteous tackle and we broke forward and we were positive. We had the ball up the top of the pitch, we got it to our number 10s and we had three midfield players.

“There was just a different feel to the team and we did the non-negotiables better than we have done.

“We all wanted to step into the game, we all wanted to be part of it, we did go individual and lost our structure but we didn’t lose it for the want of trying.”

Wilder made a point of addressing the question of whether all his squad have been giving 100%.

“I hear stuff. There are shouts, and the bits and pieces you’ve heard about are they trying, and stuff like that,” he said.

“Supporters aren’t daft. They’ve seen a team today that’s given everything. If you don’t give everything here, you will get found out.”

The Hornets were two goals up away from home for the first time since the game at Reading in February – another occasion when they ended up with just a point.

“It was a rollercoaster obviously, being in the position we were, a great first-half away performance and got the goals,” said Wilder.

“As you saw at the start of the second half we went looking for the third. And we should have found it – that’s my little criticism.

“I believed the third goal of the game was always going to be the crucial one, and then they get it through a couple of mistakes.

“All of a sudden the picture changes and we’re a little bit fragile at the moment in terms of confidence.

“We just needed to reset and do what we’d done for an hour. But it gave them a huge lift, it gave the crowd a huge lift and we were on the back foot.

“I said to the players afterwards that they needed to go over to the supporters because they’ll be disappointed obviously.

“Tactically I can pick the bones out of that. Couple of mistakes, not as clinical as we should have been, lost our structure a little bit – that was a disappointing one because we just lost our structure when it went to 2-1.

“We went a little bit individual and the players wanted to do too much. They just need to believe, whatever system we’re playing, that we’re going to play the system.

“Coventry got themselves going, and we always knew they would have a decent period in the game.

“I’d rather see that today than walking off the pitch against Luton Town or walking off on Friday feeling the way I did personally, and the coaching staff did.

“The message to the players before the game was the league table will look after itself, we need to put in a proper performance in and get ourselves going again. I thought that was what we did and unfortunately we didn’t get the result.”

Wilder mentioned his side’s fragility – was that a symptom of how the season has gone, or a general malaise within the squad?

“It’s both,” he said.

“We couldn’t get the third. If we’d seen it out and got a win, made some good decisions, played our shape better.

“But we lost our discipline and got anxious, players trying to do it all on their own rather than trusting the shape and playing their position.

“There was always going to be a period where we’d have to dig in. They had nothing to lose, they were always going to roll the dice and take chances. That’s where we have to stay nice and calm, take the sting out of the game – which we did in the first half and the first 15 minutes of the second half.

“We moved the ball across the pitch, we found the areas we wanted to find, we just have to be more clinical and put teams to bed in that period. You get the third goal and you see the team flourish and grow.

“But that’s three games recently now where we’ve got ourselves in front and not had that confidence or belief to see it out.”

Among his changes, Wilder gave a full league debut to Academy product Ryan Andrews at right back.

“I thought he was great,” said the Watford boss.

“Making your debut – all those years ago I can remember it, emotionally and physically, it takes it out of you.

“He just ran out of puff a bit but he can be pleased he played a part in the real good things we did. His performance was another good thing that happened today.”

Hamer’s debut was going pretty well until his misjudgement led to Coventry’s first goal.

“He made a couple of really important saves in the first half but he’s disappointed with the first goal. One mistake – we always talk about can somebody else clear up that mistake.

“I thought Ryan was really good in the first half but then made that poor decision to head it down rather than put his head through it. That allowed them to counter and score.

“Ben’s disappointed because he thought it was going wide.”

The play-offs may only look a possibility in a truly mathematical sense, but Wilder said he was still trying to chase the win at the end.

“We rolled the dice at the death, putting Ken and Yaser on, and tried to change the shape.

“We went individual in the second half and you can’t do that, you have to trust the shape of the team, and the system.

“We just emptied the middle of the park too easily and people wanted to take that extra touch, and it allowed them to jump in and dominate that period.

“They’ll be disappointed they’ve not won it, we’re disappointed we were 2-0 up and should have taken it to three in the first minutes of the second half.

“A point for both teams doesn’t really do us both any favours.”