Three points at home, a clean sheet and successive games where Watford have put in a decent performance – but that's not fooling Chris Wilder.

It’s perhaps an indication of just how inconsistent this season has been when, after a draw at Coventry and a home win over Bristol City, the subject of two back-to-back solid performances is even up for discussion.

But it is, simply because the two displays prior were so abject that you have to grasp at any positives.

Nonetheless, Wilder did not need any help to keep his feet on the ground. Far from it.

“I’m not going to be jumping through hoops because we’ve put two performances together,” he said.

“I’ll do it when we stick six, seven or eight together and then maybe something happens.

“Because that’s what proper players do. They play consistently, and then proper teams get results.

“It was a tight game, and there were bits and pieces in there where we can improve. But there were more positives than negatives.

“To get that win at home, and get a performance out of the players, I’m delighted. We can enjoy our weekend now – but then we have to go again, and again, and again.”

After so many games where the Hornets seemed terrified of having a pop at goal, it was a pleasant surprise to see them trying their luck.

“I don’t say to the lads ‘when you’re in front of goal turn around’, I can tell you!” Wilder joked.

“It’s quite simplistic really. If you try and get it in that net, and you try and stop it going in that net, you’ve got a good chance of winning.

“We were more positive in the second half. My message to the players at half-time was we had been playing too many backwards and sideways passes. That allowed them to dominate the ball, and I want us dominating the ball.

“If we roll it out, and play back and square passes, then a good press is going to make it difficult, and they made it difficult for us. It was a good press, but it was more our attitude after we scored.

“So we talked at half-time about being more positive, and playing more into the front. We wanted to get Sarr 1v1, we wanted to get Joao isolated on the left.

“There was one moment, maybe for the first time that I’ve been here, where we got a slice of luck too. Dan’s made a good save but they should have scored off it. Who knows where things go if that goes in.

“But we rode our luck and kept our shape well, doing what we had to do to keep our clean sheet and get the win.”

Bachmann returned to the side after suspension, and made a number of saves between Watford’s two goals.

“He made good saves at good times, which is key,” said Wilder.

“When someone does make a mistake, like Ryan Porteous did on Monday, somebody else has to get them out of it. You can’t have one mistake turning into three or four.

“Today, when we made a mistake, Dan or others have rectified it. That has then allowed us to go again.”

There was particular praise from the head coach for Academy product Ryan Andrews, who followed an impressive full league debut at Coventry with an eye-catching home league bow.

“He’ll be delighted that he’s got his home debut out of the way, because being local he understands the place. I thought the supporters’ attitude towards him was outstanding and rightly so, he was outstanding.

“I thought he defended 1v1 really well, and when he was in possession he made good decisions. He turned it round when he had to, he passed it, he got Sarr out on numerous occasions.

“When you make your home debut, anybody knows first impressions in front of your own supporters are massive. Their first impressions of him should be really positive, and backing it up with a win is a good day for him.

“He understands though that he will have an old 55-year-old, whinging, moaning old manager in his ear to say he has to go and do it again on Wednesday night if he wants to be a proper player!”

Incredibly, although this was just Watford’s third win in 15 games, they ended the day only four points adrift of the play-off places.

“The table can be talked about by you media guys, but for me and the coaching staff we’re not looking. I don’t even know the other results today,” conceded Wilder.

“I just wanted the win and the performance today. That’s what we have to look at. Then we do the same for Wednesday, and look for another performance and hopefully another win under our belt.

“Championship football is tough, especially at the business end of the season.

“I haven’t looked at the table and I’m not going to. Honestly, I’m not. We have to focus on finding the consistency we haven’t had so far.

“That is the reason the club and the team is in the position it is. Since I’ve been here, I’ve suffered the same as maybe other people have had to suffer – inconsistency from game to game, lack of back-to-back wins, and inconsistency during games.

“Even today, there were bits and pieces that drove me crazy.

“But the players have tried to win, they have tried to do the right things, and they’ve played in the structure. You have to have that in the Championship.

“If you’re individualistic and want to do your own thing, you’re not going to get any consistency in performances and results.”

Joao Pedro was the subject of national media questions, but Wilder wanted to focus praise on the group as a whole.

“He’s part of a team,” he said.

“You guys will always pick out the individuals but we had to produce a team performance today.

“He was good for what he did, but Hamza was good, Kamara was good, and the goalkeeper made good saves.

“Of course Joao has that something, but I’d like to think he understands it’s not just about him, it’s about us getting a result. He needs everybody, and everybody needs him.

“I went down the route of making him captain to put a bit more responsibility on his head. He’s a bright boy who understands the game and likes to talk tactics.

“He’s one of those boys who is very keen, and hopefully that little bit extra responsibility on his shoulders will help him take more responsibility for his own performance and also making sure the performance of the team is spot on.”

During the week Watford released a statement confirming Wilder would not be leaving the club before the end of the season, in line with the contract he signed when he joined.

That was in response to stories in some quarters that his departure was, in fact, imminent.

Wilder was unflustered by it all, and made the observation that so many of these so-called stories come from unnamed sources.

“It’s been business as usual, just getting on with it. I understood the situation, sources say and all that,” he said.

“It’s always great because nobody ever puts a name to it. Nobody ever puts a name to that stuff.

“My relationship with the CEO/chairman Scott Duxbury has been rock solid. The club have told me what I needed to do, and I’ve told the club what I wanted to do: get on and focus on the next game.

“Speculation, I get it. I came here, I understood everything and my eyes were wide open.

“I’m disappointed we’ve not got as much consistency out of the team as I wanted to do, but we’ve concentrated on that and tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

“It wasn’t on my radar. The club made a statement because they thought it was right to make a statement. I don’t go demanding you must make a statement.

“Their made it on their behalf, and we moved forward. ‘Sources’ has never been a rock solid one for me.”

That led Wilder to be asked if in the time he has left this season, he can do anything to convince those making the decisions to keep him beyond May.

“I think everybody knows my back story. I work away at it. I was brought here to take charge for a reason, and that’s what I’ve done to the best of my ability,” said Wilder.

“I put my head on the pillow every night feeling pretty tired. But I’m enjoying it, being back at the coal face.

“I’ve worked at different clubs with different identities, and this is obviously a new one for me. It’s one I’m enjoying.

“Wherever your pathway takes you, that is the pathway you go on. And I don’t think that’ll change from my point of view.”