The Hornets’ Academy bolstered its ranks with the announcement of three new signings - Jonathan Lawson, Alistair Gould and Jake Watkiss - in the middle of last week.
After putting pen-to-paper, we caught up with the youngsters to get their reaction to securing new deals at Watford.
Jonathan Lawson
“I’m really pleased to have signed. It’s the first professional club and academy that I have signed for. It’s a step up from my previous club, Cray Valley. I was there for two or three years and the last year was very good for me, especially in the league where I made my first-team debut. Watford came to one of my games and I’m now here.
“I’m looking forward to kicking on and going as far as possible at Watford. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance with the Under-21s and potentially the first-team. It’s been a really good start so far, everyone has been great and it’s been really easy to adapt.”
Alistair Gould
“I’m buzzing to have signed and it’s been really good so far. Pre-season has been really enjoyable. It’s a big step up from where I was before. The standards are a lot better and the coaches have been really great with me. I have everything I need to progress and become a good player, and hopefully, progress to become a first-team player.
“I was at Motherwell for two years and I came down here on trial and it went really well. I have settled in well, everything has been perfect. The boys have been brilliant with me. I’m hoping now to secure a high finish with the squad in the league, and individually I want to get bigger and push myself as much as I can.”
Jake Watkiss
“I’m really happy and excited to start here at Watford. It has been a long journey coming from Stevenage and it’s a step up. The journey to get here has been difficult at times because I had a lot of injuries throughout my time during my scholarship. It’s been about working my way back to this point.
“I’m now fully fit for the first time in a while. I’ve noticed the quality of the training ground, the quality in training, the quality of the players and staff – I’m really happy to be here. The main aim now is to get in and around the first-team squad and kick on from there.”
