Troy Deeney said the experience of visiting Crystal Palace was invaluable for the Hornets squad ahead of next week’s Premier League kick-off against Aston Villa.
Although no points were at stake at Selhurst Park, the Watford captain knows it’s vital to acclimatise quickly to the step up in quality as well as the pressure of a returning crowd.
“Some of the new boys got a feel of what the Premier League action will be like,” said Deeney. “Obviously the tempo wasn’t to the full capacity, but with the crowd and everything, it was good.
“It’s about the tempo and the quality. We played Doncaster and Stevenage, no disrespect to those teams, they helped us out in terms of getting games, but they don’t have the quality they [Palace] have. When we made mistakes, which we did in those games, we got away with it a lot of the time. When you’re in the Prem you don’t get away with it.”
The Hornets played out last season’s promotion campaign largely behind closed doors but this year there will be the added pressure from the stands as fans return to full stadiums.
Supporters can spur the team on to another level, but Deeney knows the players must also cope with high expectations while facing tough tests on the pitch.
“That’s why I think it was good, people got to see a dose of what it’s really like,” continued Deeney. “Next week we’re going to have close to a full capacity and an expectant crowd. You have to get used to that. There’s going to be a few more demands.
“It’s not like last year where we could talk freely. Now there’s going to be fans, you’ve got to speak and deal with the expectation. We’ve got to get ready because let’s be under no illusion, it’s going to be a tough season no matter what.”
Deeney came off the bench at Palace and quickly scored with a deflected effort. He feels in good shape going into his 12th season with the club and his sixth in the top flight.
“I wanted to build up in this pre-season. Everyone’s been talking about how I’ve lost a lot of weight but it’s more about being injury free,” he said.
“I’m happy and just ready for next week now. It’s about getting sharp, getting ready and expectant. Villa are going to be a tough test. They’ve lost Jack [Grealish] which is great [for us] but they’ve gone and replaced him with some unbelievable talent.
“We have to be ready for a new challenge every week in the Premier League and those standards have to be raised. Hopefully this was the final message and next week we’ll nail it down.”
