AFTER a break of eleven days without a first team game, Watford boss Malky Mackay told www.watfordfc.com that he has his fingers tightly crossed for good weather for the Hornets' game against Scunthorpe this weekend.

"I hope there's no freak weather for us" said the Scotsman, "I'm hoping that we can come back to some normality with the weather now.

"However, you make sure you plan for situations like that and put a process in place that allows you to get on with things as slickly as possible.

"As an example, we had a really good hard training session on Wednesday after the postponed game when we usually would have just had a warm-down so it's something you adapt too quickly."

"The players were very upbeat when they arrived at Loftus Road on Tuesday, so they were focused and ready to start only to be told the game was off.

"Now we turn that attention to 3-O-clock on Saturday up at Scunthorpe."

Malky has been working his squad hard this week in the absence of matches

The Iron have turned over the likes of Newcastle, Derby, Barnsley and Sheffield United at home this season, making the traditional turf of Glanford Park a formidable place to visit in the Championship.

"Scunthorpe have caused teams problems at home and I know that they get the crowd behind them and put visiting teams under pressure there" commented Malky.

"I'm under no illusions that that is something that can happen. So we've got to make sure that won't happen this weekend.

"Glanford Park is an old fashioned football ground. In stadiums like Glanford Park, you see the warmth that the people create, they take real pride in the stadium and the club and it's always a good welcome up there.

"When I watched the Manchester City game on TV, I saw the atmosphere that was created by the crowd.

"I've been up there plenty of times before and I know the way it can be so it's important to have the right mentality to approach it otherwise you could get bitten."

The Hornets boss went on to analyse his opposite number on Saturday.

"I know Nigel and his staff Andy Crosby and Ian Baraclough well, and I know the type of guys they are and the way they train and want to play to get results in this division.

"They have an enthusiasm that spills over onto the players and they're seen as the perennial underdog which suits them at times.

"You saw how well they did coming up to the division, and I think it's a great achievement for them that they're among everyone else in the table at the moment."

There's good news for the Golden Boys on the injury front, as Malky boosts a nearly fully fit squad; only youngster Will Buckley is still unavailable.

The manager confirmed, "Will Buckley has still got a slight twinge in his thigh but he's progressing apart from that we have a clean bill of health for Saturday."

Tom Cleverley will return to action this weekend

"Richard Collinge and Martyn Pert have made sure they've looked after the players and they have been fantastic in keeping the boys fit.

"That's going to be even more important in the coming months when the players are recovering between games."

Malky was present at the Youth Cup game at Vicarage Road on Wednesday night, and despite watching the youngsters lose out to Chelsea, the Watford manager was pleased with the Academy's achievements in the prestigious competition.

"That run is going to stand them in very good stead; they obviously came up against a very strong Chelsea team who have been assembled with an awful lot of money but they have got to take lessons from that, they are the standards they want to get to.

"But looking all the way through the competition, they've travelled to the away games and overall you look at their victory at Anfield and you can take so much from that.

"Getting to the quarter finals of the FA Youth Cup at Watford with the kind of budget we have is an achievement and it's something else that should be seen to promote our Academy.

"You look at Harefield and the kids that have started to come through from that group into the youth set up at the club; that's the future of the club and they're the ones that will make the youth system and set up all the better going forwards."

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