You can count the number of Watford’s away league wins this season on the fingers of one hand and not need to use your thumb.
It has been a slog for those who follow the Hornets all around the country, and yet they have largely stood by Tom Cleverley and his players.
The head coach said there were a couple of trips that will stick with him when the season is over.
“I probably can’t think of all the stand-out away day supports, but Derby away was incredible,” he recalled.
“The support I got, personally, at Coventry, was something that will stick with me for a long time.
“There are a couple of real stand-out days that are what you get into football for, and it’s the supporters who have made that.”
A couple of away wins in 2025 have done little to distract from another second half of a season where things have gone off the rails.
“It’s been a challenging period, let’s not try and dress it up,” admitted Cleverley.
“We felt like we missed out on an attacking player in January and we were crossing our fingers that we wouldn’t suffer any suspensions or injuries – but they’ve all come at the same time.
“If you’d told me in September or October, when everything was rosy on the field and results were good, that you’d lose Chakvetadze, Baah, Sissoko and Kayembe for a game then I’d have been worried, because there are a lot of game changers and match winners in there.
“So we are trying to find other ways of winning matches, but I’m sure any coach would struggle to deal with the absentees I’m facing at the minute.”
Although the end of the season is only a week away, Cleverley has not given too much thought to matters beyond that.
“For me, there is huge emphasis on Saturday and these last two games in general,” he commented.
“That is where the focus and attention is.
“I’d by lying if I said I’d not looked at the pre-season schedule and the assembly of a competitive squad for next season.
“There are always jobs to do in this role, so I have.
“But my eyes are firmly on Saturday and getting a good reaction to Monday.
“We all need a performance, we all do.
“There is huge significance on this game in my eyes.
“Circumstances mean we’re a little bit up against it in terms of injuries and suspensions and lack of numbers, but we know we have the group to go there, put in a performance and get a result.
“We have to react to Monday, because none of us were pleased with how Monday panned out.
“We can defend ourselves for maybe a few games that we’ve not won where I felt we’ve done enough to do so, but Monday that wasn’t the case.
“We were off it in too many areas.”
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