There will be no sentimentality in his team selection, but Chris Wilder said he will now look to get younger players on the pitch for the last couple of games.

Ryan Andrews has started the last four games, James Morris has had several appearances and earlier in the season Tobi Adeyemo made headlines when he scored on his debut.

Last weekend Adrian Blake travelled with the first-team squad to Hull and, while there was disappointment he wasn’t in the 18-man squad, it now looks like there will be more homegrown presence in the squad tomorrow.

“We have an obligation to put a strong team out as there are other teams involved in the play-off positions, but there will be changes as there are young kids who have been knocking on the door,” said Wilder.

“I’m not saying wholesale changes but I’m going to pick a strong side that I think can win the game.

“Adrian Blake has been pretty much involved with the first team since I’ve been here. Jack Grieves hasn’t because of injury but he is highly thought of – Tom Cleverley and the guys in the Academy speak very highly of him.

“Tobi Adeyemo has been injured recently which is a little bit unfortunate.

“There are good players in the Academy who can’t be overlooked, and you’ve seen with Ryan Andrews what they can achieve.

“The young lads will travel and we’ll see how it goes and then make final decisions on the day.”

Wilder said he has to balance the desire to give the youngsters a chance with the situation the team is in. It was interesting that he substitutedno  Andrews before the end of the home defeat to Cardiff, and the full-back was applauded off. Had he stayed on to the end, he’d have received the boos and cat-calls like the rest of the players.

“It doesn’t do any good to just chuck young kids in. You can wreck them. You can ruin a career by making a poor decision as a manager. I’ve seen young lads brought in and flourish, but I’ve also seen their careers wrecked,” Wilder pointed out.

“It’s a question of timing. I thought the time was right for Ryan to make his debut. I’d watched him play, I got to know him and I knew that mentally he was ready for it.

“We all like to see young players come through. They have enthusiasm, they have desire and they are very clear in their approach.

“Without being disrespectful, playing against the likes of Peterborough Under-21s and QPR Under-21s is a bit different to playing Burnley, Sheffield United, Sunderland and the likes.

“When you make the step up, it is a step up, both on matchdays and during the week when you are training with the senior players.

“This job isn’t a sentimental one. I can’t do things because I’m told to do it or because the supporters want me to do it. I have to do it based on my experience while also wanting to help those young boys as well.

“These boys have good futures. They might have to be a bit patient, or I might chuck them straight in. We’ll have to see.”

While he is keen to help the younger players, Wilder did lament the absence of a couple of the club’s older pros.

“I would have loved to have worked with Tom Cleverley and Dan Gosling. They have been a big miss for me and for the football club,” he said.

The Hornets will potentially be facing 45,000 Sunderland fans tomorrow, cheering on a team that could secure a play-off place – and Watford go into the game of a run of sub-standard form.

“We need a bit more from them. I think a neutral would say we deserved something from the game at Hull last week, but we still need to give more,” admitted Wilder.

“To win games of football, to turn defeats into draws and draws into wins, you have to get out of that comfort zone a bit more.

“We need to take our levels higher and that is especially the case tomorrow. I’m a huge admirer of Tony Mowbray, he’s done a terrific job wherever he’s been and Sunderland is no different.

“I’m envious of course because they have something big to play for. We have things to play for, but we all know it should have been far more. But we haven’t, and we have to blame ourselves for that.

“Motivation for a game like tomorrow should come from within, certainly when you’re playing in front of a crowd of 45,000.

“I said to players weeks ago that whatever happens, I’m going right to the end of the season. So I said they can follow me or not, but there’s no hiding place on the pitch.

“The players have the opportunity and the ability to give a performance that affects a result and also the way people think about them.”

Last week at Hull, several Watford players made a sprint for the tunnel when the final whistle went, as had happened after recent home defeats and also at Kenilworth Road.

“I saw it happening at Luton but it was too late and they’d gone down the tunnel,” said Wilder.

“The next away game was Coventry and we got a draw, and then it happened last week.

“How about this for an idea: let’s a win or get a big result, and then the fans will show their appreciation.

“Our fans are an honest group and if they don’t like what they see then we have to deal with that. I am always one to gather the players to go and acknowledge our fans.

“It is quite difficult – and I’ve been there as a player and as a manager – when you know after the game you’re going to get some.

“Thing is, we’re all happy to take the applause and a pat on the back when we win. When it’s the other way round, then you’ve got to take that too.

“My view is players should always go and show their appreciation to the fans. And I have told them that. It’s quite difficult at the end of a game if they’re running off. I’ll look like Benny Hill chasing trying to round them up.

“Maybe, if I could have got my stamp on performances over a longer period, then you wouldn’t have had things like the Luton Town performance.”