CAPTAIN Jay DeMerit hailed Watford's well-deserved draw at Bristol City and put the never-say-die attitude down to the strong sense of team spirit within the squad.  

The Hornets came from behind to draw 2-2 with the Robins, who haven't won a game at Ashton Gate since October.

"Our result on Monday came down to character and the will to keep going" said the American international.

"We had chances in the first and second half and it looked like they were going to go to the wayside but credit to the guys, they kept going and we got one right at the end, so it was definitely a well deserved point."

The defender echoes Malky Mackay's thoughts on the determination and strength of character of his team.

"I think one of the foundations of this team, and indeed this club is the fact that we never give up" reinforced DeMerit.

"I've been here for a lot of years now and that's something we've always prided ourselves on.

"You see the spirit, energy and work ethic we put in and have towards each other and to the fans and everyone else because we know that's part of our identity as a club and that is consistent through this season.

"You can see the results of this in games like the Bristol one when we keep going until the end, and we draw games that we might have lost and winning games we could have drawn.

"We need to keep up this momentum so we can get into the play-offs and keep our position at the top half of the table.

"At half time we focused on the fact that we needed to keep going and keep doing what we had been doing in the first half.

"We had some great chances and chances create goals so we knew that if we continued to do that and work for each others, the goals would come. And they did!"

The Hornets skipper told www.watfordfc.com that he is relishing the opportunity of facing Premiership side Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday (3 January).

"I think we definitely need the break after the busy festive period and we'll have a day off from training as it's always really important to rest in preparation.

"And we'll then be nicely rested ready for the big boys at Chelsea next weekend!

"These games are what it's all about, that's what we play the game for, so we get challenges like the Chelsea game.

"For us, it's as big a challenge as it gets, but that's what we're all here for!"