Hart: “I Was So Pleased With The Character, Work Ethic And Team Spirit”

Freddie Moriarty rescued a 2-2 draw for Watford’s Under-18s by notching a second-half double after his side had gone two goals down to Bristol City last Saturday (January 15), in the U18 Premier League Professional Development League.

The Robins would strike first in the encounter, from a short corner, before doubling their lead five minutes after half-time.

It meant that with only 20 minutes left to play, the young Hornets would have to perform a similar feat to their previous clash against Chelsea – when they went two goals down in the FA Youth Cup before levelling.

It was left to Moriarty, who produced a six-minute brace, to bring Watford level, resulting in the spoils being shared in Bristol.

Under-18s Lead Coach Tom Hart was pleased with his side’s performance, having rotated the squad following the cup tie against the Blues which went into extra-time, introducing five Under-16s to the team.

“The match [against Bristol City] was an opportunity for boys who had been on the bench or had not been a part of the FA Youth Cup squad,” said Hart.

“It was also an opportunity to fast-track some of our Under-16s, which was good for Josh Mullins and Ben Casey who started in the back four and played 90 minutes. We also had three Under-16s on the bench. It was a young team and a team that needed some minutes in a tough fixture away to Bristol City in the league.

“We wanted to try and show the same spirit and work ethic that we did on Thursday night (January 13) against Chelsea – which we did. Bristol City are quite a physical, direct team and we won aerial duels, lots of tackles and won the ball back.

“Some of the distances that the boys carried out [against Chelsea] was crazy. I remember saying in extra-time that if your body is telling you to give up, tell it to shut up and keep going – your body can do more than you think.

“Looking at the numbers from the Bristol City game they are exactly the same, which shows the work ethic. It’s a theme in Watford’s teams, which it must be. One of our values is work ethic, and the boys have to buy into it.”

Despite going into the break a goal down and conceding a second early on after the interval, Hart acknowledged that the Under-18s were always in with a fighting chance of getting a result.

The fightback began when Moriarty scored a direct free-kick on the 70-minute mark, with the 17-year-old going on to poke home the equaliser to complete his brace and the comeback.

“We deserved that little bit of luck from the free-kick and Freddie deserved his second goal for his hard work,” Hart continued.

“It was a shame to give away a cheap goal [from the short corner], which they’ll learn from, but we came into half-time pleased with quite a lot of it, especially with the way they competed considering they were the younger team.

“After conceding the second goal there was a stoppage in the game and I said to the boys to keep believing, working and pressing for each other and don’t give up. We managed to bring on Remiero Moulton and Michael Adu-Poku from the Under-16s and they were a breath of fresh air. They increased the tempo, the intensity and the momentum began to swing in our favour.

“I’d like to pick out Harvey Peters who hasn’t played as much as he would’ve liked, but I thought he was excellent – certainly his best performance as a first-year scholar. He got his head on everything, made vital blocks and he led by example.”

Hart felt that the game played out similarly to the Chelsea match, not just on the scoreline in 90 minutes, but in the desire and willingness to work from the young Hornets.

“There were similar scenarios to the Chelsea game, against Bristol City,” he said.

“I was so pleased with the character, the work ethic and the team spirit which were some of the similarities, even with a younger group of players - which is such a positive because we want that to be rolled out throughout the age groups.

“You could see the team spirit and the momentum growing. We looked fit and if the game went on another 10 minutes it looked like we would win it. It was really pleasing, but disappointing to give away another two-goal head start which the boys will have to learn from.”

A key target for Hart and Watford is the progression of young talent through the academy age groups, which has been showcased following the first-team debuts of Shaq Forde, Kamil Conteh and James Morris against Leicester City in the Emirates FA Cup earlier this month.

“It works where we have had scholars and Under-23s up with the first team which has a knock-on effect throughout the age groups,” Hart explained.

“If we lose players from the Under-23s to the first team it clears a pathway through for the Under-18s, which opens the chances for the Under-16s who are doing so well.

“We think a lot of our Under-16s group and a lot of them have been retained for scholarships next season. If we can fast-track them and give them opportunities in the Under-18s this season, it will only benefit them.”