AIDY BOOTHROYD insists he will not bow to pressure from some fans and drop Gavin Mahon tomorrow (Saturday).

The under-fire captain was booed when the team line-ups were read out prior to kick-off against Everton and many fans would like to see him axed from the side after three below-par peformances in succession. The fact that Al Bangura, Lee Williamson and Gareth Williams, in particular, are waiting in the wings has only served to add to the supporters' sense of frustration.

However, the Watford boss insists Mahon remains the heartbeat of the side and he looks set to keep his place for the visit of Charlton, although the manager is toying with the idea of opting for a three-man midfield, which means Williams, the cultured former Leicester City midfielder, may be handed his first start for the Hornets.

"The fans have been great and they are entitled to their opinion," said Boothroyd when asked about the jeering of his captain.

"Up until Christmas, Gav was in contention for the Player of the Year, along with Jordan Stewart. Players do go through dips and Gav is well aware that he's not playing as well as he can. It's the little things that people don't see that make the difference. Gav has done very, very well and I'm not just going to leave him out at the first sign of him not doing it, or just because he's not playing as well as he can.

"There are a lot of things he does that don't get seen. However, he has to do it week-in, week-out or then he runs the risk of being left out - that's the same with all the players. He needs the support from everybody."

Boothroyd has also attracted criticism for not blooding more of his new recruits - only Steve Kabba of the eight players the manager signed in January featured on Saturday. The manager would like to have been in a position to bring players in who were able to hit the ground running, but the way Watford play and the pace of the Premiership does take some adapting to.

"It's a Catch 22," countered Boothroyd. "The January deadline is great to bring in fresh faces and set the place alight. But look at Tamas Priskin - it's taken him six months to settle in and he's now starting to play his best football.

"Will Hoskins is only 20 years old and he will develop and be a really good player for us. Lee Williamson has come in and can't just go straight from playing for Rotherham and into a Premiership team.

"When I played him against Bolton, I played him out of position and didn't really give him a fair crack. He's got to earn that right to play and if he keeps doing what he is doing then he's going to push the likes of Gav and Damien. Gareth Williams is very, very close to the starting 11."