DEL-BOY IS CUSHTY FOR CLEVERLEY

ALTHOUGH it needed a second-half strike from Tom Dele-Bashiru to rescue a point for Watford against Coventry, Hornets’ relieved head coach Tom Cleverley was determined not to point the finger at his slow-starting players.

- Matthew Dale

The Vicarage Road outfit conceded after just 180 seconds, but pulled back in a fixture that could have seen more goals.

Dele-Bashiru cancelled out an Ellis Simms opener, and Cleverley was aware his team must tighten up at the start of games without making it an issue. He said “When conceding early happens once it can happen, if it happens twice you start seeing a pattern and you start an inquest.

“When it happens three times we have to review it.

“So we will review our preparation and we have the mindset of coming out like a bullet out of a gun.

“I don’t want to make it a thing with the players, because you don’t want them to become fearful at the start of games.