Cleverley admitted his relief after this scrappy 1-0 win over Sunderland meant they could now focus on the summer work ahead.
A Ryan Andrews goal gave Watford a first home win since November 28 to mark Cleverley’s first game since being named permanent manager.
The new boss feared taking such a winless run into next season would have weighed heavily on him and his team had they not managed to end it.
He said: “It’s massive to get the home win out of the way before the summer. If we went an off-season and a pre-season and then to the first game in August, you’re looking at nine months since the last win at home. That doesn’t sound great for a club of our size in this league.
This story is from the April 28, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the April 28, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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