The 1-1 draw at Rotherham saw a first start for defender Kortney Hause who joined on loan from Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old has had limited game minutes at Villa Park, and it was well documented he would need time to get up to full match fitness.

Nonetheless, he came through a demanding challenge against the very direct attacking style of the Millers and played the full 90 minutes.

“I’m a footballer and you always wants to start games,” he said.

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“It’s been a while since I’ve started and I’m grateful to Watford for giving me that opportunity.

“I’m hungry to do well. I thought the way I played was decent and I’m just keen to play and contribute to the team’s success.

“It was physical and that’s what you expect from Rotherham. They competed all over the pitch and they were hungry, but they also did the basics well.

“The quality that we have in the team should shine through and it did at times today, but it wasn’t good enough overall.”

That failure to make class tell, particularly as Watford dominated the latter stages of the game, meant two points slipped away.

“We’re definitely disappointed we didn’t get the win,” he said.

“We limited them to very few opportunities after we equalised and we had a lot of possession, but it turned into a frustrating afternoon because we weren’t able to get the three points.”

Much of that was due to a poor start which saw the Hornets behind after just two minutes.

“It wasn’t a great start at all, and it’s something that as a team we have to focus on to stop happening,” admitted Hause.

“For the first 15 or 20 minutes we weren’t at the races, and in every game you have to be ready to compete from the off. It’s something we will work on to put right.”

An away game at Rotherham who like to get the ball forward early, and often through the air, is a tough way to play your first 90 minutes as a defender.

“The Championship is physically demanding and I was feeling it a little bit towards the end, especially as Rotherham like to hit the ball in the channels a lot. You do a lot of sprinting, twisting and turning, but I’m well capable of doing that despite having been out for a while.

“Not having a Tuesday game this week is good as we have more days to recover and time to actually get back training.

“I’m feeling stronger every day. The more time I spend on the training pitch and the more games I play, I feel I’m going from strength to strength. I always want to keep improving and get myself to where I’m playing to a high standard for Watford.”