Ed Still hailed the fact that Watford got the "stuff that nobody talks about" right after they excelled in both sides of the game and beat Wrexham 3-1 at Vicarage Road .
The Hornets were excellent in the first half, carving their visitors open time after time to establish a 2-0 lead.
They had to defend strongly after the break when Max Cleworth pulled one back early but Edoardo Bove sealed the points with his first Watford goal late on.
While believing one point from two away games at Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City was a harsh return, Still accepts they were "naïve" and made too many mistakes in those matches.
Cutting them out on Tuesday night, he claimed, was the key to victory.
He said: "I'm delighted with the performance and delighted with the result, because to have only picked up a point out of the last two games was probably not fair, based on how many chances we created.
"But we spoke about it, we were too naïve, and we didn’t do enough actually of the basics. The stuff that doesn't get spoken about to win the game.
"To have such a quick turnaround since the Stoke game and to see how the team and the players have taken on board those lessons, I think that's the really big positive.
"Not to have conceded any transitions, I think it's one shot on target they had."
Watford started the game really fast and took two of the several chances they created, an element that has been missing recently.
Their possession play was neat and tidy, Still crediting them for keeping things easy.
He said: "We did the simple things well, we avoided the press.
"We didn't get trapped like we did against Stoke and we weren't sloppy or slow, like at Sheffield Wednesday.
"We kept finding the free player and the midfielder, who played together for the first time this evening, did a great job in the first half.
"Finding those small spaces when they appear and then to play it at the right time, to give the ball to our wingers and then to give support. We did it really well in the first half – and our reaction to losing it was much better."
A big three points! 🐝 pic.twitter.com/zWChLVZg6l
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) March 17, 2026
The rearguard in the second half required a very different type of display, but required discipline and concentration as Wrexham pushed for an equaliser.
Still said: "It's disappointing to concede from a corner and it's probably the worst thing when you go in at 2-0 up at half-time.
"We showed resilience.
"Was it too passive? Were we too low? Yes. But OK, I've said from the start it's a work in progress.
"We've made silly mistakes away last week and it felt like we'd shot ourselves in the foot.
"You've got a choice then. Do you put your head down and feel sorry for yourself or do you stand up and learn?
"You've got to do it quickly and there were some positive signs of that this evening."
