Late and important goals always bring frenzied celebrations on the pitch and ‘limbs’ in the stands.

However, there was something about the way his teammates congratulated Rhys Healey after his stoppage-time equaliser against Southampton on Saturday they suggested they were particularly pleased for him.

The striker has played only 51 minutes of football since joining Watford in the summer, but already he has a goal and an assist to his name.

Defender Mattie Pollock escorted Healey off the pitch after the final whistle, continually pointing at the striker as the fans gave him a warm reception, and Jamal Lewis said after the game that the Mancunian had earned the moment.

“It was great to see Rhys score. He is ultra-professional and has had to be patient,” said Lewis.

“He had a bad ACL injury when he was at Toulouse, but to see him come back, train and get himself into peak condition is a tribute to him.

“He took his opportunity and grabbed a point that was well-deserved.

“He has trained really hard and the boys are proud of him. He’s had to wait and bide his time. It’s great to see players come off the bench and make an impact.

“The subs meant we had more offensive players on the pitch and we picked up a second ball and Rhys showed a bit of quality to get a point.

“I’m sure if he gets any more opportunities he’ll take them.”

Lewis felt that Watford allowed the Saints into the game after half-time.

“It was a game of two halves,” he said.

“First half we felt comfortable on the pitch. We were structured, secure and compact and I don’t think Southampton could deal with our running power going forward.

“Second half, they gained more control, and we couldn’t really get up the pitch.

“We lost our structure and rhythm and they dominated possession.”

It was joyfully ironic that the stoppage-time which afforded Watford the chance to equalise was due to some very obvious and deliberate Southampton timewasting.

“Every team when they’re in the lead will apply game management. It’s not a secret in football, but that might have played into our hands,” Lewis said.

“This team is building into the season really well. We’re finding our confidence and finding our feet.

“This is the first point we’ve taken this season from a relegated Premier League side. We’ve got to keep building the confidence and believe in ourselves.

“Collectively and as individuals we’re in a really good place. Fitness-wise the team look in really shape. We trust each other as team-mates and we’re playing some really good football.

“There are still patches of our game that we can improve on to take ourselves to the next level and be formidable in this league but we’ve come on leaps and bounds from the bad patch we had in the autumn when we weren’t putting anything together. There is definitely something to build on.”