There have been two trips to Sunderland, the misery of losing at Luton, and long journeys home with nothing more than a stop at the services for Watford fans to enjoy in the last nine months.

So, when the final whistle blew to confirm the 1-0 win at Swansea, head coach Valerien Ismael said he was delighted for those supporters who had stuck with his team and undergone another eight-hour round trip.

“It will be a great feeling four our fans tonight,” he said.

“They have come in midweek all the way down to Swansea, and finally they are able to celebrate something.

“We are all happy they will drive home tonight with a smile on their faces and can enjoy the moment.”

Ismael was also very keen to praise his players.

“Congratulations to the players. I said after the game thank you to them, again, for another team performance,” he said.

“We show now the strength in the squad. We are coming more with team spirit, teamwork, team mentality and today was very important to do all of that, be strong, win our duels and stay stable.

“We knew that we had the quality to make the difference at any time if we did all that.

“Physically we are strong and are able to play the whole 90 minutes now, and we can do that every three days. All our work in pre-season pays off.

“When you have a squad with our ability then it’s easier to make changes and to give more freshness to the team during the game.

“It was a brilliant away performance in a difficult away game, and we managed the challenge well.”

The home side’s best moments came from set plays, with Watford offering the greater threat in open play.

“I think we had the best chances in the game,” said Ismael.

“At the very end Swansea were dangerous at set pieces, but in open play it was us who had the big chances to score.

“There was the Bayo header in the first half, and then also Rajovic in the second half. We had possibilities to take the lead before we did.

“I think we were strong and compact and disciplined. We were focussed on our game.

“I said to the guys after the game at Sunderland we were in a difficult position mentally. We overcame the challenge at Cardiff after losing three in a row, and then we won against Sheffield Wednesday and we overcame that situation.

“Now we’ve had a difficult away game with the challenge to win two games in a row, and the players made it happen again.”

There was a scare when Swansea had the ball in the net shortly before Watford scored, but Ismael said the feedback from the officials was swift and clear.

“The fourth official said it was an attacking foul and the whistle came just before the header,” he explained.

“That was what we were told and I have no influence. He made his decision and after that it helped us stay in the game.”