Don Cowie is hopeful Watford will move forward under their young generation, but acknowledges the high-profile departures from Vicarage Road in the transfer window were "disappointing".

The Scottish midfielder is now one of the senior players in the Hornets squad, even though he has only been at the club for seven months, after the sale of the likes of Tommy Smith and Jobi McAnuff raised more than £6m and significantly reduced the wage bill.

"We're sitting mid-table right now a wee bit disappointed," the 26-year-old said this week. "We've been in winning positions in a couple of games and we've thrown probably two points away in the Blackpool game and two points away at Swansea, but apart from that it's been a steady start.

"It's obviously been...you know with the transfer window and whose going to stay and things like that, but now that's out the way we can get together and look forward and hopefully get a couple of other players in on loan to enhance the squad. But I feel with the players that we have right now we can do well and progress."

It is impossible to look back on the start of the season without reflecting on what, at times, was a turbulent transfer window, which really began to gather pace with the sale of Tamas Priskin to Ipswich Town on the eve of the new campaign.

"You sort of forget that Tamas has gone because that was a long time ago," Cowie reflected with a wry smile, "but they're all quality players. You only have to look at the amount of goals that Tamas and Tommy scored last season and Jobi I'm sure had many assists and Mike came in the second half of the season and was outstanding.

"It's disappointing to lose those players but it's a sign of how well they've done that they all got moves away, but that's football. You've got to accept it, move on and it gives an opportunity for other players to come in and show that they're capable of playing in the Championship and I think last week against Swansea the young boys came in and showed they're definitely ready to mix it."

Asked if there was a sense of acceptance and realism within the squad about the club's financial position, the former Inverness and Ross County player responded: "We all knew the situation and that things may happen. I think that the fact that we'd got so far on in the window, you maybe think we'd got away with it a wee bit and we managed to hold on to these players, but it wasn't to be.

"Like I say, you've just got to accept it. It's football, we move on, we've got a lot of young players who are eager to do well and step up to the plate and, personally, I've got every confidence in them."

The most controversial departure was undoubtedly that of Mike Williamson, who got his deadline day move to Portsmouth after declaring himself "unfit" to make the trip to Swansea.

"I was quite close to Mike and I think he was a little bit disappointed the way he went about it and the way things turned out," said Cowie, "but he obviously saw there was the opportunity of playing in the Premiership and thought he'd try and force it through. He's got the move so fair play to him and all the boys wish him all the best."

Asked if Williamson's actions had disrupted preparations for the trip to south Wales, when the Hornets were only prevented from winning by an injury-time equaliser, the midfielder explained: "We knew he wasn't going to play, we knew we had able people who'd come in and do a good job and that proved to be the case. I thought the defence against Swansea was outstanding.

"I don't think the boys were affected too much. We were aware of what was going on, the manager was very honest with us and was keeping us updated with what was going on with the situation, but we just all got together and got on with it really.

"I've been here six, seven months and I'm absolutely loving my time here," he continued. "I was aware that when I came here that financially things weren't great and that maybe players would have to be sold and that's been the case, but you've just got to accept it.

"Looking at the team last week I think I was maybe the third oldest playing and that's the reality of the ways things are right now.

"But the manager's done great in taking Tom [Cleverley] from Man U and Henri [Lansbury] from Arsenal. He's been very shrewd in getting those players in and I'm sure, like he's said, he won't panic and get people in for the sake of it. He'll make sure that they strengthen the squad and I think you can see that by those signings."