Under-23 duo Adrian Blake and Ryan Andrews were pleased to get a victory in the final match of the season against Barnsley, with Omer Riza’s side winning 2-1 at Vicarage Road on Tuesday (May 3).
The Tykes took the lead after the interval, before a resilient Watford scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to secure the three points in the PL Professional Development League that lifted them to seventh in the south division.
Blake, who notched the all-important winner with a composed finish into the bottom corner, was delighted to get his first goal for the Under-23s, especially at The Vic.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Blake, 16. “To finally score, at the end of the season, was amazing. I came on, I showed spirit, I got the goal, and we kept pushing.
“We were dominant and the boys stuck to the task. There were elements of the game we could’ve done better, but to come from 1-0 down to win the game 2-1 is brilliant.
“It was good to end the season at The Vic. The results have been up and down this season but it’s good to end on a win.”
Right-back Andrews was equally impressed with the team’s desire to push on following Barnsley’s opener, and felt that guile and poise were key to the fightback.
“It was important to remain composed because we knew if we lost the ball high up the pitch we’d get hit on the counter-attack,” Andrews said.
“I thought it was a good game. We dominated the first half and we went in at half-time knowing that we couldn’t start slowly in the second half. I think we had our moments where we gave the ball away in transition, but overall I thought the game was good.
“We had to finish the season off strongly. It was great to finish off at the stadium, so we wanted to go out with a bang and thankfully we managed to do that.”
On his personal development, Andrews has been pleased to play a role with both the Under-18s and the Under-23s this season, thanking coaches Riza and Tom Hart for their faith in progressing him.
“I think I’ve come a long way this season,” he said. “From pre-season, I just got my head down, and then from there, I’ve evolved into being part of the 23s.
“They’ve [Riza and Hart] been very important. They’ve had faith in me and trusted me to play for the 23s, so I’m very grateful to them.”
