Summer signing Harley Bennett spoke to the media following Watford’s 2-1 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday (October 1).
The 33-year-old defender played the full 90 minutes at Eppleton Colliery Welfare, with Carly Johns’ fourth goal of the season ultimately coming too late for the Golden Girls to claim any points in the North East.
Covering topics including the overall performance, what improvements the team needs to make and Meg Chandler’s return, read what Bennett had to say below...
On the performance:
To be honest, I think they [Sunderland] deserved the three points. I think we were a little bit slow to come out of the gates. We'd obviously worked on things during the week, but I think sometimes we're just a little bit literal. We maybe forced it a little bit rather than playing our own game, and that allowed them to transition well. After going 2-0 down it was always going to be tough to come back and get something from the game.
On the early goal:
It's everything for them, because they like to sit in and they're a gritty team that's always going to work hard out of possession, especially if they've got the lead. It's always difficult to react when you concede that early.
On the areas requiring improvement:
I think we need to work a little bit harder to give each other good options, and just be tidier, because we were a little bit open in transition. In transition it felt like we were 3v3 at the back, and to be fair to them they were clinical and finished their goals off well.
On the return of Meg Chandler:
She was quality. We know how much of a leader she is and how much quality she has. She reads the game so well, and I think she made a couple of really good challenges. She just showed what she's about and what she brings to the team, and we're all delighted to have her back.
On returning to Grosvenor Vale against Southampton next:
We get to go again next week and put it right against one of the top teams in our league. We're just going to reflect on today and try to do everything that we know we're capable of against a really good team.
