Hornets centre-half Kortney Hause was disappointed not to earn more against Rotherham United, after playing out a 1-1 draw on the road at the New York Stadium.
The Millers came out of the blocks faster than Watford and notched an early opener through Richard Wood, before Vakoun Bayo produced a magnificent finish to equalise.
Having recently joined from Aston Villa, Hause was making his first Watford start after a cameo from the bench on Tuesday night against Middlesbrough (August 30). The defender was pleased to be involved this afternoon, although he felt a win was for the taking.
“It was great to be out there today and I’m grateful for Watford, who have given me the opportunity to play at this level at a great, big club,” Hause said.
“I’m thankful for the club who have given me backing and the confidence to play. As a footballer, you always want to start games and it has been a while since I started. To be given the opportunity makes you hungry to do well and I played decent. It’s now about building on that and contributing to the team and racking up some points.
“We are disappointed we didn’t get the win today. We had opportunities and chances and we limited them. It’s a frustrating afternoon because we haven’t been able to grab those three points.”
It was a slow start to proceedings for the Hornets, which Hause believes contributed to a demanding and tough afternoon. The 27-year-old knew what to expect from a well-drilled Rotherham side and will be taking positives from the challenge.
He said: “It wasn’t the greatest of starts. We spoke about it before the game in the changing room and it was unfortunate really. It’s something we have to focus on, that opening 15 minutes, we have to be at the races and ready to compete. I’m sure that’s something we will work on in the coming weeks.
“We got exactly what we expected from Rotherham today. They compete, they are hungry, and they want it. They did really well today, and we have to try and stand up to that and out-compete them with the quality we have. We did it in spells, but it wasn’t good enough. We have another game next weekend and hopefully we can put it right then.”
On a personal note, Hause was delighted to earn his first 90 minutes since January and has enjoyed adjusting to his new surroundings at Vicarage Road.
“The Championship is physically demanding and a team like Rotherham put the ball in the channel, so you have to sprint, twist and turn, but that’s what I’m capable of doing,” Hause added.
“I’ve been out for quite a while now but I’m sure I’ll keep going from strength to strength. We have more days to recover over the next week [without a midweek fixture], and then we will get back to it and training.
“It’s been a positive start – the club, staff and players have been great with me. I’ve just had my head down, working to contribute to the team and the club. The more days I am out on the training pitch and playing in matches, the more it feels like I can go from strength to strength.
“I just want to continue to improve and never stop improving until I get to the level where I am playing at a high standard every week for Watford.”
