Defender Ryan Porteous said he felt Watford dug in and fought really well and like everyone else connected with the Hornets, was gutted they didn’t hold on to three points at Burnley last night.

The centre-back has made a very impressive start to his Watford career, and along with Wesley Hoedt he had dealt with everything Burnley had thrown at them (including some comical antics from Clarets striker Ashley Barnes) until deep into stoppage time.

“You can plan the way you want to play the game and you might want to dominate the ball a bit more, but sometimes - especially in this league - you need to dig in and fight and I felt we did that for the majority of the game,” said Porteous.

“We definitely showed heart and character to try and keep that lead which is something we have maybe lacked before, but the positives are that they are a top team, they are at the top of the table for a reason, but we wanted all three points.

“With the manner that they have equalised, it’s hard to see the positives at the moment. It’s still quite fresh in the mind so it’s difficult. They’re a good team, we dug in and we showed fight, but it’s bitterly disappointing and it’s another two points dropped."

Despite dictating possession, Burnley didn’t overwork Daniel Bachmann in the Watford goal, and their paucity of clear-cut chances probably made the final outcome even more annoying.

“I think they dominated the ball in the second half, but we limited them to very little in the way of chances,” Porteous said.

“I think they had one maybe in the first 30 seconds of the game, but other than that I thought we dealt with their crossed balls well, we blocked shots and we limited them to very little. It’s another set-piece at the end. It’s disappointing and we will need to address that.”

Already establishing himself as a favourite with the fans, Porteous paid tribute to those who had made another long midweek trip.

“The fans were fantastic again and they have been making noise throughout the 90 minutes of every game. They have welcomed me in very well and I’m loving it here.”