Head Coach Rob Edwards was pleased with the effort and resilience shown in his side’s 1-0 win against Sheffield United, as the Hornets kicked off the 2022/23 Sky Bet Championship season with three points.
Blown away by the welcome he received from the supporters ahead of his first match in charge, Edwards felt the atmosphere buoyed his team through difficult moments in the clash with the Blades, with João Pedro’s goal ultimately proving the difference.
“I’m delighted with the three points,” Edwards began. “We want to win football matches and the fans want to see winning football; I’m really pleased we were able to do that tonight.
“The commitment, togetherness and spirit of the players was excellent, that’s the minimum you can ask for and they gave us that.
“I thought once we got the goal we had the momentum, and I thought we could have been a little bit more ruthless and got the second one. But the resilience at the end of the game to see it out and protect the goal relatively comfortably was very pleasing. Overall, I’m delighted.”
Receiving a warm introduction to the Watford faithful, the 39-year-old was briefly lost for words. Edwards was full of praise for the fans’ role in the match.
The Head Coach continued: “It’s difficult to find the words, but I loved it. As soon as I came out, the atmosphere was brilliant, so a massive thank you to the supporters for making it a special night, and I’m very pleased we were able to reward that with a win.
“We bounced off each other well. There were some exciting moments where we provided on the pitch, and when we needed them they came through for us as well in difficult moments, especially towards the six added minutes. A massive thank you to them, they were brilliant.”
The result is positive for the team’s confidence going forward, but Edwards is keen to stay grounded. He was enthusiastic about the talent on show in the campaign opener, but even more delighted with the work rate of the team. The well-worked counter-attacking goal was a reward for their graft, with João Pedro finishing off an explosive break after the visitors’ corner.
“It’s great,” Edwards said. “The quality of the players first of all, huge credit to them, it’s great to watch, the fast attacking football.
“We know we’ve got quality, but quality alone is not enough. We need to run, need to fight and work for each other, and they showed a lot of togetherness. We’ll make mistakes but if we sprint to win it back and show desire, we’ll be in a good place because we’ve got good players.
“It means a lot, three points and that’s all, but it’s a win and we haven’t seen a win here for a long time so that’s important for us, and important for belief. I keep talking about that spirit and togetherness for everyone to believe and back the players. It is important but let’s keep calm, it’s three points.”
