Zola: ‘Very hard to take’

Gianfranco Zola admitted that Watford’s 1-0 defeat by Millwall was ‘very hard to take’ after his side created a host of chances without taking any.

The Hornet’s profligacy in front of goal was punished with seven minutes left when substitute Shaun Batt bagged the Lions’ winner to virtually guarantee their Championship status.

For Watford the result was twice as frustrating thanks to Hull City’s 1-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers, meaning the Golden Boys missed another chance to close the gap between third and second.

Speaking to The Watford Observer afterwards, Zola said of the performance:

‘Our finishing was very poor and that was the difference because we created enough chances to win two games but we didn’t convert them.’

The Italian continued:

‘It’s very hard to take because I thought in the first half it was one-sided but we paid the price for the fact we were not as precise or as clinical as we normally are.

‘In the second half Millwall came back stronger but we still created some chances that we couldn’t score.’

Watford are back at the Vic’ this Saturday as they play host to Blackburn Rovers – another side fighting to avoid the drop.

CLICK HERE to read Tuesday’s match report. CLICK HERE to view the match facts and stats.