Chris Wilder was understandably frustrated after Watford were cruelly denied all three points by Patrick Roberts’ last-gasp equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland, but the Head Coach was buoyed by a better sense of character and overall quality by his side in the North-East.
Following back-to-back defeats, and up against the high-flying, play-off chasing Black Cats, the Hornets stunned the Stadium of Light by taking a 2-0 lead by the 69th minute through headed goals from centre-back partners Christian Kabasele and Ryan Porteous.
Former Golden Boy Luke O’Nien reduced the home side’s deficit within seconds though, before Roberts struck at the death, and Wilder was left to rue what might have been, while identifying Sunderland’s first as a crucial turning point.
“We just ran out of steam a bit,” the 55-year-old said. “You have to have legs in the team, and we got a bit sloppy and couldn’t get up to the ball to stop them gaining the initiative.
“I think there are certain aspects from a conditioning point of view that need looking at, and I’ve said that earlier this season, because really we should be coming on strong in those last 10-15 minutes, and going toe-to-toe.
“The biggest thing - which I said to the players - is that as soon as you go 2-0 up in a place like this, with the crowd and everything else, you can’t turn it over to them straight away. We didn’t see the period after our second goal out, and they scored which gave them more energy. In the end their equaliser was a fabulous finish.”
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In terms of the goals scored by Kabasele and Porteous, Wilder explained they were both successful examples of work put in by the players and coaches during their match preparation at the London Colney training ground.
He said: “We asked Imrân [Louza] to take a bit of pace off his deliveries today, and it worked. You don’t have to whizz it in, you just need to put it in a good area and have the desire to go and head the ball.
“Set plays are an important part of the game, and I’d like us to be associated with scoring from them. We did a bit to play off the right areas, and it was pleasing to score two goals like that today.”
Despite having conceded two goals, Wilder hailed Watford’s defending for the majority of the encounter, while also picking out teenager Ryan Andrews for praise after another stellar performance at full-back.
He added: “We defended well in general, and we wanted to defend which was good to see. I thought Ryan had another great game, and today was a brilliant experience for him in front of 45,000 fans. He was up against Jack Clarke as well - who’s had a terrific second half of the season - so he can be really pleased and proud.
“I talked about other youngsters, but I’ve played and managed here [Sunderland] so I know what it’s like, and it’s a difficult place to come. I’d imagine a lot of people expected us to turn up and roll over, so I’m pleased with our approach, and I hope the travelling fans were too. We’ve got one more game to come, so we’ll have a look at the squad in the week and see what we can do to get a competitive team out for that one.”
